A half-dozen cool things in music, from two points of view:
Lady GaGa, Fine Line Music Cafe. Her unique and unparalleled blend of infectious dance-pop music, over-the-top stage presence and often pantsless fashion truly showcased her individuality and embodied her motto, "It doesn't make you cool to hate pop culture."
Frankmusik. Embarking on his unique Live and Lost Tour in the U.K. with only 20 pounds and a Blackberry to contact his MySpace friends for directions to each stop, this electro pop up-and- comer is destined for stardom after being named to BBC's Sound of 2009 list.
McDonald's Filet-O-Fish commercial. "Gimme back that Filet-O-Fish; gimme that fish!" Just remember, there are only two more weeks of Lent.
BRENT HILL, Bloomington
To contribute: popmusic@startribune.com
Hustle Boyz and Snoop Dogg, "Tha Bigg League." On the "True to the Game" CD to raise awareness for the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, football fan Snoop and crew step up to the plate with a sense of history, an understanding of baseball and plenty of Snoop style, all set to a jazzy loop.
"The Grouchy Transcendentalist," Rolling Stone. In this interview, Van Morrison talks about the classic "Astral Weeks" in detail (inspiration for lyrics, jazz phrasing, recording with jazz musicians), "Domino" in passing, his early influences and transcendence. Revealing, straightforward conversation from a notorious curmudgeon.
