Music Artists

Archive for November 1st, 2009

Badly Drawn Boy is an independent singer-songwriter, born Damon Gough October 2, 1969 in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, although the family returned to Bolton, Lancashire before Gough reached the age of one. Gough chose his stage name from a character that appeared in the cartoon show “Sam and His Magic Ball” which he saw on TV at a party in Trafford, Manchester in 1995. Before he thought of using this name he made some ‘business cards’, each one unique, with a printed picture of a drawing by his nephew, and a small collage by Gough. This was then laminated and given out to friends and people at clubs in Blackburn and Manchester.

His 2000 album The Hour of Bewilderbeast won a prestigious Mercury Prize. He also composed the soundtrack to the movie About a Boy (starring Hugh Grant), based on the Nick Hornby’s book of the same name. His third album, Have You Fed the Fish?, was released in 2002. One Plus One Is One, his fourth album, was released in 2004.

Born in the U.K., his fifth album, was released on October 16, 2006. It is a nod to one of his major influences, Bruce Springsteen.

Badly Drawn Boy – The Hour Of Bewilderbeast, Badly Drawn Boy – Born In The UK, Badly Drawn Boy – Have You Fed The Fish, Badly Drawn Boy – Have You Fed The Fish, Badly Drawn Boy – Born In The U.K.

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Silverchair are one of Australia’s most successful alternative rock (and formerly post-grunge) bands. The group has had more top twenty hits during the last decade than any other local artist and they have sold over six million albums worldwide.

The band formed in 1992 in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. In 1994, at the age of 15, Silverchair got their big break when the band won a national competition called “Pick Me” with the demo of their song, “Tomorrow”. The demo became one of the most played songs in the history of the Australian station Triple J, and they played that year’s Big Day Out as part of the prize for their win.

Silverchair ’s earlier material is “post-grunge” and the huge influence of contemporaries such as Nirvana and Pearl Jam were incredibly obvious. Daniel Johns insists they have been inspired by bands such as Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple, however these claims are refuted by music fans and critics alike; for example, prominent publications, such as Rolling Stone and Guitar World were quoted as saying “Silverchair’s first two albums were radio-friendly, commercial derivatives of grunge music, which was popular at the time”. Allmusic.com, while praising the overall sound of the first two albums (both received 4 stars out of 5) and stating “for their age, their instrumental capabilities are quite impressive”, describes them as “concentrating too heavily on Pearl Jam and Nirvana” and “their songwriting abilities aren’t as strong”.
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Album Description
Millions will rejoice this holiday season with the much-anticipated release of Andrea Bocelli’s My Christmas. The first-ever Christmas recording from Andrea is a heart-warming collection of seasonal favorites produced by the legendary David Foster. The lush, beautiful arrangements alongside Bocelli’s unmistakable soaring vocals make this a must-have holiday recording. Highlights include “White Christmas,” “Oh Holy Night,” “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” “Jingle Bells,” “Silent Night,” “The Christmas Song,” and “What Child Is This” among others. My Christmas will also be a major component of a PBS Great Performances special to air on Public Television this December, featuring Andrea and David Foster with additional special guests.
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International or world music has never been one of the most popular genres for U.S. audiences, perhaps due to the adherence of American youth culture to trendsetting musical styles. In recent years, however, international music has become something of a cult phenomenon, even among smaller segments of the nation’s youth.

Modern international music is typified by the convergence of traditional folk from various corners of the globe and modern rhythmic accompaniment. Often, multiple styles are meshed to form an intricate weave of patterns and melodies that result in a worldly flavor reminiscent of the early indigenous music heard in Sub Saharan Africa but with 21st century appeal. Many styles are represented by international music artists, some of which lean more toward the primal and folk genres while others are a mixture of African, Cuban, Middle Eastern, Australian, South American and Asian traditional music.

Several prominent recording artist of the last few decades have delved into international themes, which has had a positive, though small, effect on the genre as a whole. Paul Simon’s multi-platinum “Graceland” album was one of the first examples of a popular artist adding world music sensibilities to traditional songwriting structures. Peter Gabriel has played no small part in the propagation of international music, and has included some tracks that could be classified as such on almost all of his releases as a solo artist. Gabriel is also the creator of WOMAD, the World of Music, Arts and Dance movement.
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They recently added a new section called “Best selling singles and albums of all time”. They keep shifting Mariah’s position down, and Madonna’s position up (which I’m all for! LOL).
However, I also notice they COMPLETELY ignore Japanese singles and to some extent Japenese albums. Ayumi Hamasaki has sold nearly 1 million copies in one week with one single yet she doesn’t crack the top 40 singles chart, why is that? and the UK artists have HUGE hits on there? I’m starting to think they’re fake….
oh and they aren’t using numbers for their old data for some reason…..trying to hide something?