Music Musings

Since I’ve been writing about the NBA pretty much exclusively for the past two months, I think it’s about time to mix things up. Why don’t I offer up a batch of random thoughts about our old friend, the music industry:

• I think it’s safe to say that when it’s all said and done, Usher’s “Confessions, Pt. 2” will be remembered as the song of the 2004 summer. I really like the song, but given the lyrical content, it’s pretty awkward when that song comes on at a party or in a club.

• When I first heard the song “Float On” a few weeks ago, I thought to myself: “Wow, Franz Ferdinand has yet another song out. But it’s weird how this new one sounds exactly their last one, ‘Take Me Out.’” What I didn’t realize at the time was that “Float On” isn’t by Franz Ferdinand, it’s by Modest Mouse. Why would two new bands release debut singles at the same time that sound so identical? Even the videos for the two songs look similar.

• Everyone blames Janet Jackson’s poor record sales on backlash from the Super Bowl incident. But the reason her new song didn’t catch on is because she’s pulled a Mariah and started doing the whole breathless cooing thing instead of actually singing.

* Launch and MTV.com are a godsend for music video fans like myself. You can watch whatever video you want on demand, and since MTV is now about 4% music, these online sites are the only place to go.

* I had to chuckle when I read that the entire 2004 Lollapalooza tour had been cancelled due to low ticket sales. With the Flaming Lips, Morrissey and Sonic Youth as your headliners, is it any surprise that they had trouble attracting any fans under the age of 45?

* I’ve had it up to here with the Bay Area hip hop stations. Their playlists are months behind what’s playing in New York. It’s ridiculous that I haven’t heard KMEL or KYLD play the new Nelly or Mase songs even though they’ve been out for weeks on the east coast.

* Speaking of Mase, what a hilarious surprise to hear that he’s decided to come back after five years as a minister. Now we know why Puffy fired Da Band from his Bad Boy label- he knew that with Mase waiting in the wings, he still had a way to tap into the youth hip-hop market.

* Mase’s comeback only makes me more certain that Jay-Z isn’t staying retired. For whatever reason, rappers just don’t hang it up, no matter how old they get. LL Cool J, the Beastie Boys and even Public Enemy still release records. Once Shawn Carter realizes that his Rocafella brand isn’t nearly as valuable without Jay-Z songs on the radio, he’ll be back in the studio, rapping about how he has to “return to the game to reclaim his throne.”