The Daily Vault – Page 18

18 Nov

Monty Python Returns: One Down, Five To Go

Curtis JonesFeature

It goes without saying that Monty Python is one of the greatest comedy acts in the world. Even if you don't quite get their humor, their irreverent and disestablishment comedy have permeated pop culture and survived for over forty years now. With the death of Graham Chapman in 1989, the troupe seemed to be finished. John Cleese had opted out of doing a sequel to Holy Grail before Chapman's death, and with the exception of the odd reunion here and there, there has been no full comedic production from the group since 1983’s The Meaning Of Life. Until July…

11 Oct

Finding Fela: Documentary Chronicles Mercurial Musician/Activist Fela Kuti

Tom HaugenFeature

A Nigerian multi-instrumentalist known for his politically fueled songs as well as starting the Afrobeat style of music in the late '60s, Fela Kuti was also a composer, activist and father whose children have carried on his strong political beliefs with their own music. At one point, Kuti's music was so controversial it sparked an attack from the government, who not only killed his mother but also destroyed his ability to record more music. Of course, this only led the defiant Kuti to pen even more diatribes about the Nigerian military and in 1980 he even ran for President of…

01 Jun

The Lost Reviews of Christopher Thelen

dvadminAnnouncement

By the time he retired from The Daily Vault in 2012, site founder Christopher Thelen had written well over 1,000 reviews for our pages. From the 26-review "A To Z" New Year's Eve feature to a month devoted to the entire discography (at the time) of Frank Zappa, he wasn't afraid to tackle anything - or ruffle people's feathers. But after 15 years of running and writing for the site, he finally decided enough was enough, and went off quietly into the background with his dog, Sounder, and we thought we had (finally) heard the last from the old windbag.…

11 Feb

How to Kill the Daily Vault, in One Easy Step

dvadminEssay

Don’t buy music. It’s really that simple. If you don’t pay for the music you listen to, if you copy it or download it from a file-sharing site or do whatever else you do to steal it—and yes, it is stealing, quit trying to rationalize it, you are taking something that belongs to someone else (the artist) without their permission and without compensating them, that’s the definition of THEFT, people—then you will eventually, one day, kill the Daily Vault. You probably won’t kill most of the other sites around that claim to deliver music reviews, most of which have already…

28 Jan

Grammys 2014: The Live Blog

Jeff ClutterbuckFeature

7:00: And we’re back for Year 2 of the Clutterbuck Grammy Live Blog! 7:01: Beyonce mixing two great films to start the evening off; a 1-2 punch of The Exorcist and FlashDance 7:03: I do realize that these kind of performances are performance-intensive, but doesn’t it sound like Beyonce is lip-syncing? 7:05: Annnnnnd there’s Jay-Z. Vegas had the odds on him appearing during this number at 2:1 7:06: If there’s an awards show, you can be damn well sure there will be live shots of Taylor Swift jamming to every song. 7:07: LL Cool J was brought back for his…

05 Jan

Michael R. Smith’s 50 Years Of Debut Albums

dvadminAnnouncement

What's new? What's hot? These are questions we've been asking for as long as popular music has existed. Over the past 50 years hundreds of thousands of debut albums have appeared. From January through November 2014, contributing writer Michael R. Smith reviewed his favorites from a half-century of classic debut discs. 1/5/14 - The Beatles / Please Please Me1/12/14 - Simon & Garfunkel / Wednesday Morning, 3 AM1/19/14 - The Monkees / The Monkees 1/26/14 - The Velvet Underground / The Velvet Underground And Nico 2/2/14 - The Stooges / The Stooges 2/9/14 - John Lennon / John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band…

19 Dec

2013: Melanie’s Top 10

Melanie LoveBest Of

Personally, I was a little underwhelmed by 2013. The albums that I did like, I spun on repeat endlessly. But I was disappointed by major label releases from Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake, Miley Cyrus, and Lady Gaga. Here’s to an even better 2014! Kanye West – Yeezus Kanye has become the quintessential example of separating the artist from his music. As West’s persona became more outspoken and over-the-top in 2013, his music spoke for itself. Yeezus is a keen blend of the stripped-back, mechanical tone of 2008’s 808s & Heartbreak and the bombastic song structures of 2010’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy,…

19 Dec

2013: Mark’s Top 10

Mark MillanBest Of

10. Alison Moyet - The Minutes A fantastic blend of electro-pop and soulful vocals. Highlights: “Apple Kisses,” “Changeling,” “Filigree,” “Remind Yourself.”9. Donna Summer - Love To Love You Donna The first posthumous release for the late disco queen is all killer and no filler. Essentially it is a remix album, but these songs have been more reinvented than simply remixed, such is the quality of work carried out here. Giorgio Moroder came out of semi-retirement to join the fun and all of the selected DJs/producers have far exceeded my humble expectations, so much so that it sounds like a whole…

19 Dec

2013: Tom’s Top 10

Tom HaugenBest Of

I think I could more easily make a list of the Top Ten Albums I Was Disappointed With this year than the ten I enjoyed. Of course, there was still truly great music released in 2013, but many of my most anticipated discs fell really short. With new albums from Banner Pilot, Against Me, Beck and a shelved Johnny Cash recording that is resurfacing, 2014 looks promising... The Front Bottoms - Talon Of The Hawk One of New Jersey's finest, the quirky, clever, and funny indie rock here is as adventurous as it is memorable. You'll see this one on…

19 Dec

2013: The Big List Of Albums I Liked Quite A Lot

Ken DiTomasoBest Of

The year 2013 is finally at an end so as always it is time for a massive article of year-end shenanigans. I bumped my favourites list up to 20 albums this time around and wrote mini-reviews for all of them. It seems like these lists just get longer every year. Enjoy! 20. The Beach Boys – Made In California Another year, another archival release from The Beach Boys. This box set is kind of a mess. Throwing classic hits alongside obscure rarities ensures that this set as a whole won't fully satisfy both casual and hardcore fans. However, aside from…