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lists 2010
The Best Songs of 2010 - Mixtapes
At the end of each year, Jim and Greg look back and pick out their favorite songs to make you a mixtape. Think of it as a soundtrack for 2010. They both play samples of the mix during the show, but you can stream both compilations in their entirety.
It's time for the annual Sound Opinions Thanksgiving Turkey Shoot! It's the perfect way to say thanks…thanks that we never have to listen to the year's biggest musical turkeys again. There are plenty of lousy records released each year, but calling some of those out would be like shooting fish in a barrel. Since we're shooting turkeys here, Jim and Greg only pick out albums that they expected to be much better. Here are this year's biggest disappointments:
Let's face it. Rock ‘n’ roll can be plain scary to a lot of folks. But there are some songs and artists that go above and beyond and give even our hosts the creeps. Here are some of their favorite Scary Rock Songs to set the mood this Halloween.
They say that it takes a lifetime to make your first record and only a few months to make your second. If that's true, then it's no surprise that most artists face the dreaded“sophomore slump.”But, a rare few second albums meet or even exceed the first effort. Here are Jim & Greg's picks for Sophomore Success Stories:
Sound Opinions is a show that celebrates music. But, once in a while we have to get a little negative and call out artists that disappoint us. In particular, there's a crop of singers and musicians who began as great talents with promising careers, but ended up breaking our hearts by going "Off the Rails." Think of it as the musical answer to“Jump the Shark.”Jim and Greg think these career wrong-turns are too big to ignore.
Everyone has a cheesy pop skeleton in his or her musical closet–even rock critics. This week Jim and Greg fess up and reveal their musical Guilty Pleasures. These are songs that our hosts know are not“cool”or“artistic,”but for whatever reason, they love ‘em. And at Sound Opinions we have a completely populist philosophy about music. If it’s got a good beat, and you can dance to it, enjoy it.
Every few months Jim and Greg like to shed the spotlight on some underappreciated bands and albums. This is music that doesn't get a lot of press or mainstream acclaim, but deserves your attention. Enjoy this most recent batch of Buried Treasures:
For decades Jim and Greg have been making an annual pilgrimage to Austin, Texas for the SXSW Music Festival and Conference. That makes them industry vets, just like this year's keynote speaker Smokey Robinson. In the digital age, it's easy to sample music from hundreds, if not thousands of bands from all around the world, but as Jim and Greg explain, a MySpace stream has got nothing on the live experience. This is why they and more than 10,000 other people converge on the Texas capital year after year. Here are Jim and Greg's SXSWdiscoveries for 2010:
This week's feature celebrates an important, albeit struggling medium: Radio. Last year national radio revenue fell 18%, and the industry overseas isn't immune either. Even powerhouse BBC has been facing tough economic times. While bands have many other methods of promotion and distribution these days, radio airplay still significantly boosts record sales. Musicians are now looking to radio performances as another source of revenue. Jim and Greg both fondly remember discovering new bands on their FM dials. To honor that legacy, they play these great Radio-Inspired Tracks:
Jim and Greg like to end every year with a good old-fashioned mixtape (presented as a new-fashioned mp3 stream). But this year they decided to go even further and compile their favorite songs of the entire decade. They pick highlights to play during this episode, and their entire playlists are below. You can also stream their full mixtapes: