Sean McCarthy – The Daily Vault

16 Dec

2011: Best of

Sean McCarthyBest Of

So, for about ten years, we've been told that the Internet has fractured popular music to the extent that there would be no more "blockbuster" acts of universal appeal. That theory had to undergo revision this year with the release of Adele's 21. It dropped in January and for the rest of 2011, it stayed in the Top 10. Other artists have accomplished similar feats over the past decade (see Norah Jones or even Adele's most compared peer, the late Amy Winehouse), but Adele managed to lure hip-hop fans into her world as countless remixes of her songs hit clubs…

20 Dec

2010: A New Decade

Sean McCarthyBest Of

When I came up with my list of "best albums of the decade" last year, I was surprised at the number of albums that came out in 2000. The biggest cause for surprise was that in 2000, I didn't remember the year being all that noteworthy with the exception of Outkast's Stankonia and Radiohead's Kid A. It just goes to show you how much the element of time plays in these "best of" lists. Nine years from now, I'm not projecting the same phenomenon. Looking at my Top 10, I'm seeing nearly eight albums that would be my number one…

18 Dec

2009: A Feverish Closeout To The Decade

Sean McCarthyBest Of

While I've always enjoyed making "Best Of" lists, the last two years have been fairly lackluster. I still stand by giving The Hold Steady's Stay Positive "Album Of The Year," but it was hardly an "Album Of The Decade" contender. Unlike '67, '77, '87 and '97, 2007 wasn't a year where music underwent a massive change. It seemed like music genres were so fractured, it was nearly impossible to find any releases that were able to have any universal appeal. But it seems like popular music was just saving itself for 2009. This year felt like a huge cram session.…

30 Nov

Sean McCarthy’s Top 100 Of The 2000s (Part V)

Sean McCarthyFeature

[Editor's note: Cover images of albums previously reviewed on the DV have been linked to the review.]In the '90s, we saw hair metal and boy bands destroyed by grunge and alternative rock, only to have boy bands resurface stronger than ever at the end of the decade. At the beginning of this decade, we saw boy bands be destroyed once again, but by what was up for debate. Thanks to file sharing, MySpace and Internet radio, musical tastes became more and more divergent. As a result, there was no galvanizing movement like grunge or superstar like Michael Jackson to steer…

23 Nov

Sean McCarthy’s Top 100 Of The 2000s (Part IV)

Sean McCarthyFeature

[Editor's note: Cover images of albums previously reviewed on the DV have been linked to the review.]In the '90s, we saw hair metal and boy bands destroyed by grunge and alternative rock, only to have boy bands resurface stronger than ever at the end of the decade. At the beginning of this decade, we saw boy bands be destroyed once again, but by what was up for debate. Thanks to file sharing, MySpace and Internet radio, musical tastes became more and more divergent. As a result, there was no galvanizing movement like grunge or superstar like Michael Jackson to steer…

16 Nov

Sean McCarthy’s Top 100 Of The 2000s (Part III)

Sean McCarthyFeature

[Editor's note: Cover images of albums previously reviewed on the DV have been linked to the review.]In the '90s, we saw hair metal and boy bands destroyed by grunge and alternative rock, only to have boy bands resurface stronger than ever at the end of the decade. At the beginning of this decade, we saw boy bands be destroyed once again, but by what was up for debate. Thanks to file sharing, MySpace and Internet radio, musical tastes became more and more divergent. As a result, there was no galvanizing movement like grunge or superstar like Michael Jackson to steer…

09 Nov

Sean McCarthy’s Top 100 Of The 2000s (Part II)

Sean McCarthyFeature

[Editor's note: Cover images of albums previously reviewed on the DV have been linked to the review.] In the '90s, we saw hair metal and boy bands destroyed by grunge and alternative rock, only to have boy bands resurface stronger than ever at the end of the decade. At the beginning of this decade, we saw boy bands be destroyed once again, but by what was up for debate. Thanks to file sharing, MySpace and Internet radio, musical tastes became more and more divergent. As a result, there was no galvanizing movement like grunge or superstar like Michael Jackson to steer…

02 Nov

Sean McCarthy’s Top 100 Of The 2000s (Part I)

Sean McCarthyFeature

[Editor's note: Cover images of albums previously reviewed on the DV have been linked to the review.]In the '90s, we saw hair metal and boy bands destroyed by grunge and alternative rock, only to have boy bands resurface stronger than ever at the end of the decade. At the beginning of this decade, we saw boy bands be destroyed once again, but by what was up for debate. Thanks to file sharing, MySpace and Internet radio, musical tastes became more and more divergent. As a result, there was no galvanizing movement like grunge or superstar like Michael Jackson to steer…

05 May

Talking Heads Retrospective

Sean McCarthyAnnouncement

In all of rock, few bands have bridged more genres than the Talking Heads. In their early days as an opening act for the Ramones, the Talking Heads married arty song structures with punk. Lead singer David Byrne became the consummate nerd with his edgy, nervy vocal delivery, while bandmates Tina Weymouth (bass), Chris Frantz (drums) and Jerry Harrison (keys) laid down funky beats decorated with alien textures and theatrical flourishes. Their debut album, Talking Heads: 77 was released during the height of the punk explosion of 1977, and while few of their songs qualified as pure punk, the album…

19 Dec

2008: The Year in Music For People Who Had Too Much On Their Plate To Worry About What Type Of Year It Was In Music

Sean McCarthyBest Of

Like a lot of people, I barely had enough CDs in my collection to come up with a “best of” list this year. There was a lot of stuff going on in peoples’ lives in 2008, stuff where music could easily take a back seat. Folks who were busy obsessing over the presidential election might not have noticed that Lucinda Williams came out with a new album. Other folks would have liked to pick up those two covers albums by Cat Power, but were a bit busy reformatting and sending out their resumes because they feared for their job. And…