John Lennon: 1940 – 1980

John Lennon is one of the greatest songwriters of all time. I say this without hyperbole and without exaggeration.

I was listening to All Songs Considered today, and Carrie Brownstein made a completely basic, yet wildly important statement about one of her favorite bands of 2010: “What she does is make pop songs, and writing pop songs seems effortless, which is, I think, one of the hardest things to do.” And it struck me that this is exactly what John Lennon did best.

Dimebag Darrell: 1966 – 2004

Heavy metal is not my genre. At least not anymore. Sure, during middle school I was mildly obsessed with Metallica, but it’s been ages since then. And even then, I didn’t venture much past my treasured Metallica CDs. I knew nothing of Pantera, Damageplan or any other bands in the pantheon of 90s heavy metal.

So why do I care now? Why, after Darrell Lance Abbott was tragically shot onstage while playing a show with Damageplan in 2004, do I care?

December 8th – John Lennon & Dimebag Darrell

December 8th marks the yartzeit (anniversary) of the murders of two very different, but very important musicians: John Lennon and Dimebag Darrell. Most people would chastise me for putting Dimebag in the same sentence as Mr. Lennon, but today we’ll pay tribute to both of these musical icons – each important in their own way.

Now if only I could find an All-Star jam with Lennon and Dimebag playing together…

Best of 2010 – Late Realizations

While working on my Best Of 2010 posts, there have been a few bands and albums that I’ve neglected throughout the year. Some I listened to and didn’t think much of. Others I just recently picked up. But all of these songs are awesome, and they all belong in this post.

These aren’t the best songs of the year, nor are all of the albums they’re found on the best albums of the year. But due to my apparent inefficiency in listening to music, I’ve glossed over these, and feel obligated to share them with you before the year is done.

Justin Townes Earle – Slippin’ and Slidin’

Deerhunter – Sailing

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – Beat The Devil’s Tattoo