Ad Nauseum #1

First and foremost, if you are reading this: Thank You. When I initially decided to put this blog together, I had high hopes and so many ideas. Some of them have worked wonderfully, while others have failed to get off the ground. Honestly guys, I didn't think it would be that much work. The idea that if I liked something I could write about it sounded so simple. Yet, if you've followed this blog, the content and my contributions have been spotty, at best.

So how do I fix that? How do I keep you guys coming back? I've got some ideas and a few surprises, so please come back! The first thing I can do is maintain this regularly, so I'm starting a weekly post titled, Ad Nauseum. If you look carefully at Twitter (@theearlynerd) or Facebook, even most music sites you'll see a few stories that won't go away. 3 or 4 items that by the end of the week have dropped on every blog, or should have. Check in at the end of the week and see everything you might have missed, and something it seemed I just couldn't avoid...

#1 - Kanye West - Monster
The talented and apparently generous Kanye West announced via his Twitter account (@kanyewest) that he was introducing "Good Fridays". Every Friday he will release a new song from him or one of his labelmates for free. He also mentioned that he and Jay-Z will release a 5-song EP called "Watch The Throne". Monster got a bunch of hype this week for a few reasons. It got my attention because it features Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, but that is a bit misleading. His vocals are sort of distorted creating a tone much like his other band, Volcano Choir. It seems everyone else went batshit for the Nicki Minaj verse that overshadows everything else. There are so many people on this track, that poor Charlie Wilson didn't even get his name on the cover although he clearly brings up the rear. Let's see if this week's new song "Devil in a New Dress", literally released hours ago will end up here next week.

2. Radiohead - Live in Praha DVD
Contrary to popular belief Radiohead did not invent music, or the internet, or the "album for free" concept. It seems they just get the credit and somehow still make money, they are wise. This week a fan produced DVD of their 2009 show in Praha flooded the internet and again people thought it was brilliant. Truth be told, the idea has been done before by 2 great acts. The Beastie Boys handed out cameras to fans and released "Awesome, I Shot That" years ago and last year a group of Nine Inch Nails fans called thisoneisonus created full shows from videos given to fans for free on the band's site. All three are great and only work because of the great show the band puts on and the adoration from some of the most dedicated fans in the business.


3. Cee-Lo - "Fuck You" Video
Words cannot explain how good this song is, so watch the video. Cee-Lo Green, a founding member of Goodie Mob and the other half of Gnarls Barkley is dropping a solo album, The Lady Killer and this is the first single. How do ensure your song won't be played on the radio between Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber, say "Fuck You" 50 times over the span of 4 minutes.


4. Apple - Ping
You have an iPod, an iPhone, maybe even an iPad so what else is missing? A social network, duh. Apple released the latest version of iTunes and bundled with it is the new feature, Ping. As they put it "a social network for music". Create a profile (yes, another damn profile), choose a few album covers to show your music preferences and meet the same damn people you already know. What makes this different is the fact that it does a great job marketing bands. Go to the artist's profile and see tour dates with the option to buy any song. It sure sounds like the end of myspace, considering the huge amount of people already using iTunes and comfortable with making purchases online. Sadly, the artists can only make a page by invitation only leaving a lot bands on the outside looking in. If this gets fixed, the floodgates will open and we may have found a cure for this sagging industry.