The Daily Blair: The Ultimate Album Theory

I have always had a huge problem with greatest hits albums because they are rarely anything more than just a simple collection of hit songs. Greatest Hits albums do not have the flow of a studio album, they do not have the unique feel of a studio album, and they often struggle to gain any momentum. Greatest Hits albums are usually made when the band or the artist needs money badly, when a record company is desperately trying to squeeze some money out of an artist, and when an artist or a band has absolutely no new material. I have always thought we should call them "Greatest Quits" albums.

But I have come to accept that not everyone enjoys music the same way I do. A good percentage of people would get a bands greatest hits before they picked up everyone of the bands albums because this saves them not only time but money. Greatest Hits have become the logical listen in our culture of immediacy. We have to accept that not everyone wants to go through a bands discography, not everyone feels obligated to write every day on a blog, not everyone cares enough to put every album in historical context, and sometimes Greatest Hits albums are the best way to Dizcover new Muzik.

The Daily Blair: An NFL Playoff Musical

Hey the NFL Playoffs are coming up! So I am going to compare every NFL playoff team to a 2012 album.

1. SUPER BOWL CHAMPION: New Orleans Saints

2012 album that reminds me of the New Orleans Saints: Fun.- Some Nights

On Aim and Ignite, Fun. was the Pittsburgh Steelers: they combined old school influences (Beach Boys and Queen) with new school ideas and execution. The Pittsburgh Steelers love to run the ball and deal out helmet to helmet hits like it is 1965 (Beach Boys and Queen) but they also have one of the best passing games in the league led by nightclub enthusiast Ben Roethlisberger (new school ideas and execution.) A&I had something for everyone to love just like the Pittsburgh Steelers have something for everyone to hate.

This year Fun. seem to be focused on perfecting a modern sound: "We Are Young" is a beat driven anthem that kind of sounds like a tamer version of "Baby Girl, I'm A Blur," "WTF" is a five minute uncensored version of "At Least I'm Not As Sad As I Used To Be," "Carry On"sounds like a 2011 remixed song off of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, and "It Gets Better" has the chance to have the generational impact that "Imagine" had over thirty years ago. So while Fun. has not totally forgotten their old school influences they seem to be using less and less of these influences to make their next modern masterpiece. The new fun. album is the Saints modern offense that passes over fifty times a game then sneaks in a draw to Darren Sproles to keep the defense on their toes. Some Nights will make Fun. the biggest band in the world just like the Saints passing offense made them the best team in the National Football League.

Album Retrospective: Say Anything - In Defense of The Genre

Album Rating: A+

Autobiographical music is usually relatable but never really unique. When an artist says they are releasing an "autobiographical album" we usually assume this means a "themed album" filled with songs about ten themes we are supposed to believe are unique. Instead of making an album that is actually autobiographical, artists often contaminate or brains with mainstreamed views on rather serious topics. We know that "Love Hurts," we all are trying not to be an "American Idiot," and we are probably all doing it for the "Single Ladies." While these albums and songs might be relatable and enjoyable, they are the furthest thing from actually be autobiographical. The relatable autobiography is nothing more than something we are supposed to believe is the artist story so we will buy their record. The unique autobiography actually has to have "No Soul."

Album Retrospective: Say Anything - Baseball

Starting a new little feature today, and I'll see how the reactions to it are. I'm going to go over an older album, talk about how it is, how it has affected the band's future, and how it has influenced music in general. If you have any requests for an album retro, please post it in the comments.

Most casual fans of Say Anything think that ...Is A Real Boy is the band's debut record. Actually, Baseball was released all the way back in 2001, and was an extremely limited release, with only about 200 physical copies sold. There still is no other way to buy it other than those first physicals. Max Bemis also pushed this record to the side, never playing any songs off of it live until the band's latest headlining tour, in which they played "Colorblind". However, the record is definitely a great listen. Though it isn't even close to as strong as the band's three major label releases, it shows the listener how far the band has developed since the beginning.