Niki N. Phaser

…suffice to say that Muse were never “the cool band to like right now”, they never made trendy music but managed in the decade since their first album’s (Showbiz) release to become an important name in modern rock history. Maybe it’s because, unlike, for example, the current army of new bands with the same haircut and the same music, Muse became a band because they had a musical vision they needed to express and not just to be cooler than the other kids from their high school. And, in the future, when they’ll close the books, The Resistance will be a chapter that holds its piece to Origin of Symmetry or Absolution.

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Grunge survivors Pearl Jam have offered a gift to fans through their MySpace page. The song is called The Fixer and it’s the first single from their upcoming album, Backspacer, which is due for release this September. It will be a breath of fresh material amongst the string of reissues they are planning. Even before the premiere, it was known that The Fixer is going to be used for a Target commercial, directed by Cameron Crowe. He’s a good friend of the band and has worked with them before, on his 1992 grunge-era comedy Singles. He is also at the helm of some sort of documentary on the band, a 20 year anniversary retrospective. This new single might baffle some of Pearl Jam’s fans, as it has very little guitar heaviness on it or, in fact, none at all. It was the band’s intention to get more poppy on this one, but the results sound a bit like Counting Crows back in the 90′s. However, after their previous album, Pearl Jam, being so punchy, a change was rather expected.

You probably all know by now that Michael Jackson has died yesterday, June 25 2009. He would have been 51 this August. The cause of death, at least for now, is a cardiac arrest, but there has been speculation of prescription drug abuse, as a possible trigger of that heart failure. Hearing Wolf Blitzer saying “this just came in…” certainly took its toll on me, as some of my first life memories are related to the album cover of Dangerous. This might be insensitive, but we all have to admit that there is also a feeling of peace when you think about it. Michael’s last years were just a string of scandals and trials and everything that has nothing to do with his music. The 50 dates London O2 tour, that was to span from this July to next year’s March, was just another controversy in the making. It started with the first delay, apparently because of Michael’s need for live perfection, but it was clear even from then where this was going. All sorts of rumours about his health followed, but were denied instantly by his camp. Obviously, those were not just rumours. The truth is there was no comeback to follow, not a successful one anyway. The whole thing would have been a fiasco, one way or another. A legal and physical nightmare for Michael Jackson and a disappointment nightmare for all those fans. Now or at least after some time, when the speculations of death causes and suicide possibilities will fade, maybe people will once again focus on the man’s great music, more than on his troubled life. Finally R.I.P. Michael Jackson…