If one were to scan the titles of movies opening this Friday, that person would find a group of adjectives appealing to a somewhat degenerate nature: scary, wild (admittedly used as a noun in the movie’s name), hard, notorious, kinky. Read more...

Famed comedian Jack Benny was known for his notoriously self-deprecating humor. It’s appropriate, then, that a recipient of an award named after Benny might resort to similar strategies. Read more...

After announcing himself in the third person on a loudspeaker backstage at his April 5 show, Bill Bailey energetically strode out to his microphone, settled amid an array of unlikely musical instruments, and concisely informed the audience that “there are three jokes in this show.” He promptly began the first with, “Three blokes walk into a pub” trailing off midway through, unapologetically explaining that he always seems to lose faith in his jokes halfway through. Read more...

Let’s be honest, guys and gals: Comedy songs suck. There are a lot of reasons for the proliferation of downright awful so-called musical comedy, everything from overdone jokes to bad music or throwaway parodies. Read more...

Percussive elements can often be the driving force behind a piece of music, encompassing its energy and guiding the direction of the song. But they are often limited or underexplored in popular music, as the melody tends to dominate the listener’s attention. Read more...

Sondre Lerche and the Faces Down Quartet “Duper Sessions” Astralwerks Records A lot of pop music flirts with the influences that inspired its artist. It catches a seventh chord here and there and people can call it jazzy, or the lyrics tell a story and automatically it becomes folk. Read more...

Yeah Yeah Yeahs “Show Your Bones” Interscope In “Fever To Tell,” Yeah Yeah Yeahs frontwoman Karen O sang about love ““ and she was pissed about it. Read more...