Last night as I was listening to, and really really trying to like, T. Pain's latest over-produced and overly guest heavy new album Thr33 Ringz I quickly determined that Mister Pain is still painfully over-using that vocoder like voice altering program which I had hoped would have stayed back in the summer of 2007 when near every damn rapper had some digitally altered ear-piercing robot voice effect prominent in their sing-songy rap hit single/video. I thought or rather hoped the fad was long over. But I was wrong.

Apparently here at the end of 2008/cusp of 2009 this gratingly annoying vocal effect is still very much alive as proven by such current hits as the T. Pain featuring Lil Wayne single "Can't Believe It" --  found on the R&B singer's aforementioned recently released new album.

But let's leave T. Pain alone. Even more painful to these hip-hop loving ears is Kanye (the artist formerly known as a hip-hopper) West, who recently, in an interview about his rap-free new LP, announced that "hip-hop is over for me" and who dedicates his heartbreakingly-hard-to-listen-to entire new album (808s and Heartbreak) to (like T.Pain) singing through the vocoder like autotuner effects. Jeesh. I guess his hanging out with Daft Punk just rubbed off on him way more than anyone could have ever anticipated. Below is a clip of Kanye performing a track off this new album on Letterman earlier this week. Disappointing? Hells yeah and not coz the autotuner is a bad piece of musical recording/performing equipment. But like anything in music, as in life, it comes down to how you use it, or rather don't use it (3 words Kanye: "less is more").

This is another album that I have been anticipating for so long this year. I just could barely hold in my excitement until today to talk about my little friend Jens Lekman. He has been creating brilliant little albums for a couple of years now. But I really think that this is the year of the Jens. The new album is called "Night Falls Over Kortedala." I can't stop listening to this album. It also seems that anyone who has already heard it is as obsessed with it as I am. Sometimes it is nice to have your little secret artists that not too many other people know about. But I have really been wanting the rest of the world to love Jens as much as I have the last couple of years.

I began my obsession with him when he put out "Rocky Dennis' Farewell Song to the Blind Girl." This is of course in reference to the brilliant film that is "Mask." Most people can't really handle the excellent makeup work that transformed Eric Stoltz. But I really do love this movie. Please go and watch it right now if you have never seen it. You can find the 3 Rocky Dennis songs on the EP collection album "Oh You're So Silent Jens" or the original "Rocky Dennis" EP. This new album is actually only his second real album. The first being "When I Said I Wanted to Be Your Dog."

Jens is a little bit Stephin Merritt and a little bit Sufjan Stevens. Sort of like an orchestrated indie rock lounge singer. I just read a review today that said his music was perfect for swingers parties. I really would not go that far. But I could imagine it being played live at maybe some piano bar in Portland or something. But with a full band and backup singers. The first song begins with music very similar to the theme of the Hellraiser movies.  However, I know he is sampling someone else on this song. But it really reminds me of the Christopher Young Score of Hellraiser. So it sort of puts me in a weird mood every time I start the album.  Jens is really a great songwriter and like Stephin Merritt or the great Paul Lynde, he has great delivery of his lines. The songs are actually fun little love songs with great lyrics like "I would never kiss anyone, who doesn't burn me like the sun." He is telling stories with his songs and albums but seems to be sort of making fun of himself while he is singing. Like he is telling us by his delivery that he really does not take himself as seriously as he seems to be. He is having fun with himself on these albums. He also sort of reminds me of Neil Hannon from the Divine Comedy.
In that European indie rock showtunes kind of way.

I checked out the "Spirit of Armenia!" Sunday night up at the Hollywood Bowl with my beloved Ngoc em. I've lived in L.A. for more than a few years now and, shamefully, it was my first time up there. I'd definitely like to go back soon.

Anyway, I didn't know what to expect at all. My exposure to Armenian music is mostly limited to KSCI where I've seen seen more than enough Tupac-indebted gangsta rap.

Still, I would possibly prefer that to my even stronger dislike of five thousand-year-old tunes played on a fretless bass.

The Bowl was pretty full. Even though we were outside and there was no smoking except outside, the air hung heavy with cigarette/cigar smoke and perfume. We brought 2 Buck Chuck and cheese with sesame pita chips. We found our seats. Saw a couple of friends near us but sat where we were assigned.

I don't think I've ever been to one of those concerts with the big screens projecting what's going on the stage before. No lie, I think the biggest concert I'd ever been to (before last night) was Big Audio Dynamite in a park in 1992.

I found myself alternating between squinting at the stage and craning at the big screens. I wished I'd brought binoculars or opera glasses or something. It's like being at a sports bar. Even if you want to focus on something, the TVs all around hypnotize with their pretty colors! It's even more difficult to look away when you're periodically blinded by the gleam of gargantuan images of Adiss Harmandian cracking smirks and busting out in his Tom Jones-like gestures.