All posts by G. Gordon Gritty

business, Entertainment, News, Politics

FTC Mandates Blog Rules

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Washington Post
Bloggers who offer endorsements must disclose any payments they have received from the subjects of their reviews or face penalties of up to $11,000 per violation, the Federal Trade Commission said Monday.

The agency, charged with protecting consumer interests, had not updated its policy on endorsements in nearly three decades, well before the Internet became a force in shaping consumer tastes. The new rules attempt to make more transparent corporate payments to bloggers, research firms and celebrities that help promote a product.

“Given that social media has become such a significant player in the advertising area, we thought it was necessary to address social media as well,” said Richard Cleland, assistant director for the division of advertising practices at the FTC.

I wonder if this will play any role for big name music blogs like Pitchfuck who probably haul in thousands just to positively review albums like Album. Contrary to popular belief, KLYAM does not receive any cash as to meet a monthly quota of at least 9,000 Death Cult (Black Lips, King Khan, and Jay Reatard) related posts.

Entertainment, Lists, Music

Top Songs of 2000s (A-C)

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It was hard choosing just three songs for these guys!

A maximum of three songs per band and they must be favorites!

Alec Ounsworth
1. Pass Along This Way – 2003

Almighty Defenders
1. Cone of Light – 2009
2. Ghost With The Most – 2009
3. All My Loving – 2009

Animal Collective
1. Fireworks – 2007
2. Grass – 2005
3. Peacebone – 2007

Arcade Fire
1. Rebellion (Lies) – 2004
2. Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels) – 2004

Arctic Monkeys
1. Fluorescent Adolescent – 2007
2. I Bet You  Look Good on the Dancefloor – 2005
3. Dancing Shoes – 2005

Atlas Sound
1. Walkabout (Featuring Noah Lennox)

Beirut
1. Postcards From Italy

Black Lips
1. Not A Problem – 2007
2. Fad – 2003
3. Juvenile – 2007

Bobby Ubangi
1. Back To You – 2009

Bon Iver
1. For Emma – 2007

Bright Eyes
1. Road To Joy – 2005
2. We Are Nowhere and It’s Now – 2005
3. Lua – 2005

Built to Spill
1. Strange – 2001

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
1. Over and Over Again – 2005
2. Heavy Metal – 2005

Cold War Kids
1. Passing The Hat – 2006
2. Pregnant – 2006
3. Hang Me Up To Dry – 2006

Crystal Castles
1. Crimewave (Crystal Castles Vs. Health)

Dandy Warhols
1. We Used To Be Friends – 2003

Deerhunter
1. Disappearing Ink – 2009

Editors
1. Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors – 2007
2. Munich – 2007
3. Papillon – 2009

Flashy Python
1. Obscene Queen Bee – 2009

Fleet Foxes
1. White Winter Hymnal – 2008
2. Mykonos – 2008

French Kicks
1. Abandon – 2008
2. So Far We Are – 2006
3. 1985 – 2002

Fugazi
1. Argument – 2001

Grizzly Bear
1. Colorado – 2006
2. Knife – 2006

Handsome Furs
1. Dead + Rural – 2007
2. All We Want, Baby, Is Everything – 2009
3. Evangeline – 2009

Head Automatica
1. Please Please Please – 2004
2. The Razor – 2004

Immortal Technique
1. Freedom of Speech

Entertainment, Music

Jay Is Better Than One Line!

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Look at your Boston Globe and read the Pixies review:

JOHNNY REATARD GOT ONE FREAKING LINE!

“Buzzed-about indie rocker Jay Reatard handled the evening’s warm-up duties.”

NO FUCKING SHIT HE WAS THE OPENER. THAT’S OBVIOUS. HE GOT ME SWEATING, SHAKING IN MY SKIN. APPARENTLY HE WAS ONLY WORTH ONE LINE TO YOU, BOSTON GLOBE. YEAH NO SHIT THE PIXIES ROCKED THE  SHIT OUT OF THE PLACE, BUT  ONE LINE FOR “INDIE-ROCKER”? GO F YOURSELF.

CD Review, Entertainment, Music

Classic CD Review: Safe As Milk

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Band: Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band
Label: Buddah Records
Release: 1967

1. “Sure ‘Nuff ‘N Yes I Do” – B+
2. “Zig Zag Wanderer” – B+
3. “Call On Me” – B+
4. “Dropout Boogie” – A-
5. “I’m Glad” – A-
6. “Electricity” – B
7. “Yellow Brick Road” – B+
8. “Abba Zaba” – B
9. “Plastic Factory” – A
10. “Where There’s A Woman” – B
11. “Grown So Ugly” – B+
12. “Autumn’s Child” – B+

Comments: This is a very encouraging album for me. It’s an exciting listen (as is most music from the 1960s), although I won’t go as far as to designate it as one of the best “classics” that I’ve heard. I wouldn’t say a lot of modern day garage/punk/psychedelic bands are necessarily derivative of Captain Beefheart, but influenced for sure. The best way I can describe this record is: saner than Bloodshot Bill. I guess my own real gripe is that most of these songs feel too archaic; this may be where the delta blues references are validated. My comments may be a bit skewed: most of the bands that I love play music that has several grand-daddies in a plethora of genres and styles. These guys, on the other-hand, could only draw upon a few primitive fathers such as the blues and early rock. I can’t wait to hear Trout Mask Replica, their magnum opus.

Grade: B+

Drugs, News, Politics

Cigarette Bureaucracy

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Promo Magazine
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning more than a dozen online cigarette sellers that they may be in violation of the new regulations against selling most types of flavored cigarettes to U.S. citizens and have 15 days to prove that they have stopped those sales or risk government action.

A ban on the U.S. sale of cigarettes flavored with anything other than menthol went into effect on Sept. 22 as part of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act.

That law, enacted in June, gives the FDA power to regulate the content of tobacco products, along with the marketing and distribution of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco, and the impact of ads for those products on young people. The new law also lets the FDA limit the amount of nicotine in products and block labels such as “light” and “low tar” that appear to offer “healthier” cigarettes.

So some of us like BBT absolutely hate large scale cigarette smoke in places that clearly say don’t smoke, but we respect smokers’ freedom to light up.