THE HUNGER GAMES SOUNDTRACK

I was a bit surprised to hear that T-Bone Burnett was producing the "soundtrack" to the film The Hunger Games. I know that the film is based on a series of books that are aimed at teenagers, and based in some sort of futuristic world. Didn't seem like his beat. My understanding was that The Hunger Games was meant to appeal to the Twilight crowd.  Again, T-Bone's greatest film music has seemed aimed at an older crowd: O Brother Where Art Thou, The Big Lebowski, Walk The Line, Crazy Heart. Generally folk, bluegrass, country, a bit of classic rock. I wasn't so surprised that T-Bone would do it as I was that he'd be asked.

But then I found out that none of the songs are actually in the film (I think one or two play during the closing credits).  What would be the point of getting a well-known (and probably well-paid) producer to put together a group of songs for a movie, but they won't be used in the film?

Well, it turns out that it worked quite well! Having seen the movie, I now know that the "District 12" referred to in the subtitle to the soundtrack is the coal mining territory where the main character, Katniss Everdeen, comes from. The music that T-Bone specializes in completely works among that backdrop.  And while none of the songs are heard during the actual film, all of the songs are actually based on the original novel.

I saw the movie this weekend and thought it was great. Pretty dark for a book for young people, but I respect that it doesn't pander to kids.  The soundtrack doesn't either.  Taylor Swift is on the soundtrack (and her collaboration with The Civil Wars works quite well)... but if they had the budget for her, that means they had the budget for Katy Perry or Drake or LMFAO.  It would have been really easy to fit those acts into some of the scenes in the film.  So I tip my hat to the producers for coming up with an idea that is much more cohesive, and will age well.

Other than the Taylor/Civil Wars track, I really liked Arcade Fire's "Abraham's Daughter," The Carolina Chocolate Drops' "Daughter's Lament," The Pistol Annies' "Run Daddy Run" and the one hip-hop track on the album, Kid Cudi's "The Ruler And The Killer" (which is more of a Nine Inch Nails vibe than an appalachian sound).

The packaging seems to have two slots for CDs even though it only contains one.  Any guesses as to why?

I'M NOT MAD AT ESPERANZA SPALDING!

Over the weekend, music exec Steve Stoute bought a full page ad in the New York Times to post an open letter to Neil Portnow, NARAS and The Grammys. You can read it at The Huffington Post. Stoute is a hip-hop guy, and cites some embarrassing Album of The Year gaffes, including 2001 when Steely Dan beat out Eminem's Marshall Mathers LP and 2008 when Herbie Hancock's Joni Mitchell tribute album beat out Kanye West's Graduation. Clearly he thought that Eminem's Recovery should have won this year, and it was beaten out by Arcade Fire's The Suburbs.

In 2001, I was not yet a NARAS member, but I remember being embarrassed anyway. Steely Dan's Two Against Nature was a surprising nomination to say the least, there was some excitement around the album as it was the group's first in 20 years or something. But I bet if you go to a Steely Dan concert today, their fans aren't calling out for songs from that album. Paul Simon's You're The One was also nominated. That was a really boring album, but I remember thinking that they would split the boomer vote. Also nominated was Beck's Midnite Vultures and Radiohead's Kid A. I figured those would split the white hipster vote and Eminem would win. I don't know how that didn't happen, but it certainly was an upset, and I have to think it was an embarrassment.

But not was bad as 2008. I doubt many people even knew that Herbie Hancock had released The Joni Letters. I don't really care about sales, but the record didn't feel like something that was important, and even jazz fans that I know didn't like it.  They felt that the "victory" was actually bad for jazz - the fact that people would be getting the album would ultimately be a turn-off to jazz neophytes, because the album wasn't that interesting. It beat out The Foo Fighters' Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace (a solid record, but not an Album of the Year type album), Vince Gill's quadruple album These Days (a bit too niche) and, shockingly, Amy Winehouse's Back To Black. I could see Kanye and Amy canceling each other out, but I don't see how Herbie beat the Foo Fighters or Vince Gill. A real gaffe.

This year, Arcade Fire beat Eminem, Lady Antebellum, Lady Gaga and Katy Perry. Now, I voted for Eminem, but I'm not that upset about Arcade Fire. They sort of symbolize the mainstreaming of indie rock, and their album seemed pretty solid. Since Album of the Year was given out at the end of the night, and Arcade Fire was the last performer, Stoute felt it was a set up of some kind. Maybe the producers of the show knew who the winners were, and I agree it's cheap to schedule the show like that. But it's not that big of a deal.

Where I really (respectfully) part ways with the guy is when he makes the case that Justin Bieber should have been Artist of the Year over Esperanza Spalding. He says, "Justin Beiber, an artist that defines what it means to be a modern artist," and says "His cultural impact and success are even more quantifiable if you factor in his YouTube and Vevo viewership - the fact that he was a talent born entirely of the digital age and whose story was crafted in the humble method of being 'discovered' purely for his singing ability (and it should be noted that Justin Bieber plays piano and guitar, as evidenced on his early viral videos)."

I'll add that he also plays drums! There's no doubt in my mind that he's a talented kid. But none of those points make me feel like I should have voted for him as the Best New Artist. Sales are their own reward. So are views on YouTube and Vevo. I won't deny the kid's cultural impact. But I don't think that "biggest" = "best." Although I'm not an "anglophile" I was torn between Florence + The Machine and Mumford & Sons. Both artists have unique sounds, they ignore trends, and both were success stories with impressive sales in 2010. But I have no problem with Esperanza winning - she is also unique, clearly isn't motivated by commercial concerns, and is a good enough musician to have been an instructor at Berkley at age 20. Putting her in a category with Bieber (much less Drake and the other nominees) seems weird, but I have a hard time thinking that she somehow "robbed" Bieber. Agreeing to perform at the Grammys shouldn't be some kind of back-room deal that you are going to win anything, so I disagree with the point that Bieber was somehow "exploited" (the network decides what part of the ceremony they are going to advertise, and using Bieber to get viewers was a no-brainer). I submitted my ballot before I knew who was performing, and I think that was probably the case with most voters.

As Esperanza said in the press room, Justin will probably be fine, and if new people were exposed to her music, then I think the Grammys did us a service. Unless you think her album was bad (as opposed to just "irrelevant" based on sales), I don't see how anyone could have a problem with her victory. At any rate, her next album is going to be produced by Q-Tip, so hopefully people will be more open to hearing that one.

TODAY ON OUTQ: ROCK, FROM PUNK TO INDIE

For those of you who are new to No Expiration, every Wednesday morning at 9 am (ish), I go on the SIRIUS XM Channel OutQ, on The Morning Jolt with Larry Flick and talk about music. Normally, I write about what I'll be talking about the night before: however, last night I was rocked by The Dead Weather who played Prospect Park in Brooklyn.  Review coming soon!  Anyway, today, I'll be talking about a number of different rock bands.  One of the most anticipated albums of the year, Gaslight Anthem's very important third album, American Slang - they've recently gone from playing clubs to larger halls (they are playing Radio City Music Hall in the fall). Another of the most anticipated albums of the year, Arcade Fire's very important third album, The Suburbs, has the indie fans going crazy.  I'm not going crazy for it, but they are one of the only bands that the indie set has hyped in the past few years that I like - and unlike most of those bands, Arcade Fire will have a career (they are playing two nights at Madison Square Garden later this year!!). Trent Reznor's new post-Nine Inch Nails project is How To Destroy Angels, and they just released their debut EP.  I like it, but it sounds a bit like NIN with a different singer.

I'm also talking about the recent album by punk rockers Against Me!, new music by The Smashing Pumpkins (which is basically Billy Corgan and whoever he hires), and one of my least favorite '90s bands, Stone Temple Pilots.

LOLLAPALOOZA 2010: SOUNDGARDEN, GREEN DAY, LADY GAGA

Well, the rumors were true. Soundgarden, Green Day and Lady Gaga are headlining Lollapalooza this year (August 6-8 in Chicago's Grant Park). I am pretty sure this is the first show that Soundgarden has announced, and it is appropriate as they are one of the only bands (along with Tool) to be a Lolla headline act more than once (in 2991 and 1997), Also on the bill: Arcade Fire ,Social Distortion, Jimmy Cliff, the Black Keys, Devo, Cypress Hill, The Drive-By Truckers, and many more.  Find out more at the festival website.

PETER GABRIEL'S SCRATCH MY BACK DUE 2/15

A running joke among Peter Gabriel and his fans is that, when people ask when his new album is coming out, he says "By Christmas," adding that he won't the year that that Christmas is that he's referring to. So I was suprised that, after writing about his upcoming album Scratch My Back, and that it was coming out in the spring of 2010, it is actually coming out earlier.  His website says that it is due out on February 15, and they are taking pre-orders. The album is all orchestral (meaning no guitar or drums) covers. The album features David Bowie's "Heroes," Paul Simon's "The Boy In The Bubble," Talking Heads' "Listening Wind," Lou Reed's "The Power Of The Heart," Arcade Fire's "My Body Is A Cage," Randy Newman's "I Think It's Going To Rain Today," Neil Young's "Philadelphia," Radiohead's "Street Spirit (Fade Out,)" as well as songs by Elbow, Bon Iver, The Magnetic Fields and Regina Spektor.

It looks like Peter is doing some European orchestra shows for the album, but no U.S. dates yet. I've also heard that he wants to produce an album called I'll Scratch Yours, where all the artists who he covers return the favor. I doubt Neil Young would do that, and I don't imagine Talking Heads will reunite to record a Peter Gabriel cover, but you never know!

One month after Scratch My Back comes out, Peter and his former bandmates of Genesis will be getting into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 15. I doubt Peter will perform, and keyboardist Tony Banks has said he'll be happy just to be there and enjoy the night, (plus Phil Collins is injured and probably can't play drums), but I hope he shows up.

TIME FOR AN INDIE ROCK UPDATE! THE ARCADE FIRE...

Billboard reports that the Arcade Fire is working on a new album, which will come out in 2010. That's cool. I think if I was younger, Arcade Fire would be one of "my" bands. As it is, I enjoy their music, although I generally prefer it in smaller doses.

INDIE ROCK'S NEW BEEF

The thing I really don't like about hip-hop beefs is that there are real consequences, and people get hurt over perceived disses on record. But indie rock beefs are another thing: other than that guy who Jack White clobbered a few years back, there aren't very many indie rock beefs at all, and I doubt anyone gets hurt (I take that back, I'm sure a lot of people get hurt feelings). But now Win Butler from Arcade Fire is all up in it with Wayne Coyne from The Flaming Lips. Seems so silly, but read about it at idolator.

YOU'RE (ARCADE) FIRED!

Today I read that Arcade Fire may be suing rupert murdoch and fox for using their one of their songs in a ad promoting football without the band's permission. Wow, if fox really did that, what a perfect storm of stupidity that is. I mean, if they used a Ted Nugent song without his permission, he's probably be sort of OK with it.

But an Arcade Fire song? For a football game? That's all kinds of funny.

I'm not knocking the band, I like both of thier albums, and I loved the recent Spin cover story on AF's Win Butler and Bruce Springsteen. And supposedly Win enjoys basketball, so it's not like he's an anti-jock or something. But still, who was asleep on the job at fox for this one? Maybe they can make it up to the band by offering some of all of them guest roles on The Simpsons (plus a big check and an apology).