am/fm

Tomorrow is Canada Day, so here are some Canadian tunes! (For the most part, locations are given for where either the band was formed or the individual singer was born.)

CSNY "Southern Man" -- The song that inspired Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama." (Neil Young is from Toronto; Crosby was born in LA; Stills, Dallas; Nash, Blackpool, England)

Sloan "Losing California" (Halifax)

The New Pornographers "The Laws Have Changed" (Vancouver)

Nickelback "How You Remind Me" (Hanna, Alberta)

Rush "Tom Sawyer" (Toronto)

Feist "Inside and out" (Amherst, Nova Scotia)

Metric "Combat Baby" -- This might be my favorite song ever written. (Toronto, mostly; also, fun fact: lead singer and Canadian citizen Emily Haines was born in New Delhi.)

Bryan Adams "Everything I do" (Kingston, Ontario)

Joni Mitchell "Free Man in Paris" -- I like that this song is about David Geffen. (Fort Macleod, Alberta)

Islands "Rough Gem" (Montreal)

Celine Dion "I'm Alive" -- I just couldn't do "My Heart Will Go On" to you guys. (Charlemagne, Quebec)

Barenaked Ladies "The Old Apartment" (Scarborough, Ontario)

Alanis Morissette "Ironic" (Ottawa)

Bachman Turner Overdrive "Takin' Care of Business" (Winnipeg, Manitoba)

Malajube "Pate Filo" -- Because the list wouldn't be complete without a French Canadian group. (Montreal)

It would also be incomplete without Men in Hats' "Safety Dance." (Montreal)

According to this definitive list, Ontario leads Quebec six to four as the most musical province. Now you know.

eh.www.amNY.com

I was fortunate enough to get into Talib Kweli's show at the Museum of Natural History Friday (part of their One Step Beyond series, co-sponsored by Flavorpill). It was totally awesome. I was too busy dancing to take notes (and I don't usually dance, so you know it was good), but I want to say absolutely don't miss Kweli next time he's in town.

Also, AMNH's Rose Center for Earth and Space is a great space to see a show. The room is big enough to accommodate a good crowd, but it still manages to seem intimate (though vantage of the stage is limited). Partying in a museum feels like your doing something illicit, which adds to the thrill.

eh.www.amNY.com

The man premiered "Chemtrails" on his website a while ago, but now you can hear that one as well as two other new songs from "Modern Guilt" at iLike.

I am really excited for this new album. Can you tell?

eh.www.amNY.com

So I was debating whether or not to put this up, because it's mildly embarrassing how late to the game I am on this one, but I just had my mind blown. Listen:

It's "Vic Acid," by Squarepusher, from 1997. I have no idea why its having such an effect on me, but ... whoa.

I heard it in this video explaining the history of the "Amen break," a drum beat heavily used in music for nearly 50 years (referenced in this post). It's 18 minutes of a guy speaking in near monotone, but it's really interesting, if you're a dork.

Anyway, that's what I'm on today.

eh.www.amNY.com

PS The above-referenced audiodocumentary is by Nate Harrison. You can see more of his work here.

• YouTube loves Aimee Mann. Apparently, up there with Chipmunking R&B songs and videotaping your kids singing, another YouTube thing is uploading videos of yourself playing Mann's "Save Me." So now Mann and her record label are having a contest: upload a video of yourself performing her new song "Freeway" for a chance to perform live with the singer. According to Spinner: "Mann is excited at the process of going through the 'Freeway' covers, but jokingly hopes that the contest isn't overly successful. 'I can't wait to have a little time to sit down and go through them all,' she says. 'Looking through hundreds of videos, however, would be a little daunting. Dozens would be ideal.' "

• NY Mag has invited five New York musicians to make summer MuxTapes -- among them, my favorite Stroke, Albert Hammond Jr. It's a good mix, themed around an upstate weekend vibe, although it would work on any road trip. He also has the cheek to include both Kraftwerk's "Autobahn" and George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue," both songs which clock in at over 8 minutes. A daring move for a mixtape, but it works.

• Over on Nerve's gaming blog, Cole Stryker has dug up the Pixies' cover of the theme from the '80s video game NARC. I like how they're doing something to the guitar (or whatever) to give it that 8-bit tinniness. Very authentic.

• Soulja Boy vs. Ice-T: If you haven't been following, the two are in a bit of a tiff. Fortunately Videogum has been following the feud: 1, 2. The language is VERY NSFW, BTW. Now, V'gum reports, the feud has hit the cartoon world! If the video not working there, here's a link. Soulja Boy's strategy is all about calling Ice T old, but it seems to be effective. Ice T is maaad. Although Ice T's barbs are a little more pointed. In the end, sadly, I think Soulja Boy might be right about the fact that Ice T is just stirring up trouble to promote his new album ...

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(This is a terrible look for Beck.)

OK, it occurs to me that Beck's PR company is doing this on purpose -- releasing a steady trickle of news about the album until it drops -- and I'm playing right into their hand reporting every time Beck sneezes, but whatever, dude.

Today's tid-bit: For those of you who can't wait until July 8th, "Modern Guilt" will be available on TouchTunes jukeboxes around the country July 1st. If you've been to a bar in NYC, you've seen these babies before. If you're unsure of what I'm talking about, you can text BECK to 40411 and get the nearest TouchTunes location -- if you're desperate enough, that is. (That's probably a text that costs, BTW. Also, assuming a rate of $.25/song, you'll be ponying up $2.50 to hear the album once in a loud bar. Beats iTunes, but still ... )

Not from the press release: The album is coming out on vinyl!

Sorry to start the week off so quietly; we're switching design programs at the paper, and learning the new way is taking up a lot of my time. So this will probably be a quiet week on the blog.

But, I'm not too busy for any new Beck news. Check out a preview (they're calling it a "trailer") of the new album at Amazon. Sounds good!

eh.www.amNY.com

My friend Melissa tipped me on this one.

Brooklyn band Creaky Boards is saying Coldplay's Chris Martin plagiarized their single "Songs I Didn't Write" on "Viva La Vida." They even made a handy video highlighting their claim.

They definitely sound a little similar, but I don't know ... it could be coincidence. I'm no musicologist, but this does seem like a pretty simple musical idea, and I don't think it's that strange to see it repeated.

(I think plagiarism claims are pretty tough to prove, although sometimes they are substantiated after a long and difficult legal process, cf. George Harrison "My Sweet Lord"/"He's So Fine".)

Melissa is skeptical as well: ""I don't know. My boyfriend is having a hernia over it. I think it seems like a coincidence, and a lucky PR stunt, but some radio stations, and of course the British press, are talking about it."

But CB does sound like a worth-it band to check out.

eh.www.amNY.com

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In the news wasteland that is the turn of the New Year, I can buy the compulsive need for everyone to run lists of their favorite everything from "the year that was." Hell, I did it, too. But stuff happens in June. We don't need to give over our page views to "the January-June that was."

Except that we do, apparently. Sheesh.

There's not a whole lot of consensus, although Vampire Weekend and Flight of the Conchords turn up more than once.

But, just, quantifying and ranking your favorite songs is such a ludicrous concept. Do we really have to do it now twice a year?

I blame VH1.

eh.www.amNY.com

(via)

I had remembered liking the first Futureheads album when it came out (way back in 2004), but I had kind of forgotten about the band. But when Brooklyn Vegan announced they were throwing a concert at Pianos a night after their Bowery show, I said to myself, "Self, your indie cred is on the line if you don't go to this secret show." Or maybe I said, "Hey cool. I'm not doing anything Wednesday night." I don't remember.

Anyway, for whatever reason, I'm so glad I went. The show was kick ass! I'd never seen them live before, so I don't know if they were any different than usual, but the band was loose and relaxed, joking with the crowd and each other between songs before breaking into machine gun punk riffs and precise-but-emotive angelic harmonies. It was really exciting. The audience (including me) ate it up with a spoon.

Unfortunately, I think they lose a little something on album, so I don't know if I'll be digging up that old CD anytime soon, but on the bright side, the band said they'll be back in September. For the love of your mother, GO!

eh.www.amNY.com

Deadeye Dick - New Age Girl

According to the myspace page I borrowed this from, this is an "EXTREMELY rare" video. I wasn't allowed to watch MTV when I was younger, so I can't testify to that, but I can tell you that this song played on DRE, like, three times a day back in 1994. And thanks to the ineffable workings of my brain, it popped into my head last night.

Sadly, Deadeye Dick lasted not much longer than the popularity of "New Age Girl," I guess that "Dumb and Dumber" magic just doesn't last (Crash Test Dummies can tell you all about that).

According to All Music:

Catchy as it was, the song's novelty humor had many pegging Deadeye Dick as flashes in the pan, and the follow-up singles, "Perfect Family" and "Marguerite," were virtually ignored. A second album, the slightly rootsier Whirl, was released in 1995, but met with a similar fate, and Deadeye Dick disbanded. [Caleb] Guillotte and [Mark Adam] Miller remained active on the local New Orleans scene as producers.

Here's a link to Miller's current band. They're playing around California, if you want to see 'em live.

eh.www.amNY.com

I'm shocked that Sufjan Stevens isn't all over this. Christian Kiefer, Matthew Gerken and Jefferson Pitcher have gotten together with a bunch of indie rockers (including Bill Callahan (I love him; he used to be called Smog) and Xiu Xiu) to create the ultimate presidential album, "Of Great & Mortal Men: 43 Songs For 43 Presidencies." The album will be out Sept. 9, with a follow up 44th presidential song to be released online in November. For now, you can hear "James Monroe: The Last Cocked Hat," feat. Marla Hansen over at Force Field PR.

eh.www.amNY.com

You probably already own Goo Goo Dolls' "Greatest Hits Vol. 1: The Singles." It's the greatest examples of mid-'90s mediocre rock all on one disk.

But wait, there's more!

Vol. 2 is on the way Aug. 26! It's got alternate takes and live versions of the songs you know and love from Vol. 1, as well as other songs you've never heard (of) before. (According to Amazon, "9.1% of customers who bought this item bought it with Coldplay's "Viva la Vida." I never took statistics, but this has to mean something.)

Seriously, though. This is a gutsy cash in from a band that hasn't been popular in almost a decade. Way to monetize your averageness, guys.

eh.www.amNY.com

• New York Magazine points out this New York Times editorial positing that Weird Al Yankovic is the best representative of American values we've got. Actually, the article is quite moving as the author talks about bringing up his boys to be individuals and think for themselves while living in a culture that encourages conformity (they live in Egypt, BTW).

• Wolf Parade's new album is out and it's awesome. Download a free MP3 at Spinner. Also, frontman Dan Boeckner gives an interview over at Pitchfork, where we learn that his ringtone is the theme from "Dr. Who."

• Death Cab's music generally annoys the crap out of me, but the band members themselves seem to be pretty fun guys. Apparently they're doing some guest spot on MTV this week, and they've got some new videos of them horsing around. Check it, at Stereogum.

• The NYTimes Arts blog (I know!) has some pretty thorough coverage of Bonnarroo, if you didn't make it down to Tennessee this past weekend. But I thought that this post brought up an interesting point: attending a concert as a member of the press is a different experience than just going as a normal person. Which, I guess, seems obvious now that I've typed it up...

• Idolator (which, and it might be my computer, looks like it's blogging from the year 1996 today) rounds up critical opinion on Coldplay's new album. Unsurprisingly, reception is lukewarm.

• Also, NME is reporting that Duffy may have been tapped to write the newest James Bond theme. Who the hell is Duffy?

eh.www.amNY.com

(via)

Though the rain last night deterred me from seeing Vampire Weekend, et al., at SummerStage, some are made of tougher stuff. amNewYork's Max Dickstein reports:

The attendees of the summer stage concert featuring Born Ruffians, Kid Sister and Vampire Weekend on Saturday defied heinous, intermittent thunderstorm drenchings to cheer on the Central Park summer concert series kickoff. Earnest rocker host Andrew W.K. rallied a crowd of soaked collegians when Vampire Weekend took the stage at around 6:15. The foursome hadn't played in hometown New York since a pair of concerts at Bowery Ballroom in mid-January, when Vampire debuted its self-titled first album. Making their way through their clap-happy catalogue of three-minute ditties such as "Mansard Roof" and "Oxford Comma," frontman Ezra Koenig thanked the crowd for waiting out the weather "shitshow."

(via)

Andrew W.K. came onstage for the penultimate song — a cover of Tom Petty's "Don't come around here no more." Koenig said Petty's work is "often derided as frat rock," before Vampire and W.K. went through the water-logged rendition of the Petty hit.
The band finished with a rousing run-through of "Walcott" before the crowd began to squish homeward out of the soggy park.

-Max Dickstein

• Gawker reports on a new Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young documentary which looks at the band's fans who go to concerts and boo CSNY's anti-war songs. Seriously? What's wrong with people?

• On a lighter note, Television Without Pity has an item on rapper Wale, who's made a mixtape about "Seinfeld."

THE BPA 'TOE JAM' FEAT. DAVID BYRNE & DIZZEE RASCAL

• (via Stereogum) Fatboy Slim, hiding under the name BPA, has a new video out with David Byrne and Dizzee Rascal: "Toe Jam." The song is maybe a skosh too long, but it's catchy. The video features some shenanigans with nudity and those censorship bars. My favorite part is when they re-enact Pong.

• Gorilla vs. Bear has some new output by the RZA from his new project as Bobby Digital.

eh.www.amNY.com

I don't know why this old Kids in the Hall song popped into my head the other day, but it did. So now let's talk about the music-related Daves I know.

Alanis Morissette's "U Oughta Know" is supposedly about Dave Coulier.

Everyday

Dave Matthews Band, "Everyday" -- I remember the day this video was shot; It was shot on the mall in Charlottesville, Va., where I was living at the time, and it was the biggest thing to happen in town ever. The mall is where all the (actual) punk kids would hang out; they'd dye their hair in the bathroom at the movie theater. When my parents came to visit around Halloween one year, my mom said, "We saw downtown, all the kids are all dressed up already." Yeah, it wasn't a costume.

The Stooges original bass player was Dave Alexander.

Dave Brubeck's "Take Five" is cited in almost every textbook on music theory as an example of music in 5/4 time (that and the Mission Impossible theme song). Well, this is Brubeck's "Blue Rondo A La Turk," which seems to use about 500 different time signatures.

David Bowie "Within You"

The Monkees. OK, he's Davy Jones (coincidentally, so was David Bowie), but it counts.

The Dave Clark Five, "Glad All Over" and "Bits and Pieces."

Talking Heads, "Psycho Killer" -- David Byrne has such an awesome voice.

U2, "Sunday Bloody Sunday" -- Here's a two-fer: Bono's real name: Paul David Hewson; The Edge: David Howell Evans. I still hate U2.

Also: David Johansen (NY Dolls), Dave Seville (Alvin and The Chipmunks)

eh.www.amNY.com

June 12, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BECK: MODERN GUILT RELEASE DATE AND TRACK LISTING CONFIRMED FOR NEW ALBUM

Beck's new album Modern Guilt, produced with Brian "Danger Mouse" Burton, will be released July 8th on DGC Records in North America and July 7 on XL Recordings in the UK and Europe

eh.www.amNY.com

OK, first I was ruminating on what the heck Franz Ferdinand was up to. New music, that's what, The Guardian is reporting. Listen.

Then, just two days ago, I discovered that both Jill Sobule and Katy Perry kissed girls, but different ones. Now Sobule is weighing in on EW.com:

Katy Perry's song is a kind of catchy party song, although I will admit that I do smile when a critique mentions my version in a more favorable light. Is that wrong?

Now you know.

eh.www.amNY.com

(via Stereogum)

Beck played a "secret" show out in L.A. Monday night where the kids got a preview of the new album. Above is "Modern Guilt." Everyone is expecting the album any day now. Get excited!

And in case you missed it, here's the already out single, "Chemtrails."

eh.www.amNY.com

Is it hot in here? A little, right?

Well, so to beat the heat, I've made you a (mostly) video mix.

Vanilla Ice, "Ice, Ice Baby"

Foreigner "Cold as Ice"

Shuggie Otis - Ice Cold Daydream

Mojave 3 "Breaking the Ice"

M.O.P "Cold as Ice"

Britney Spears "Break the Ice (Soul Seekerz remix)"

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - In This Home On Ice

Muscles "Ice Cream"

The Field "Over the Ice"

Death Cab For Cutie "The Ice is Getting Thinner"

I was going to make you a muxtape, but they didn't like my files :(

Stay cool.

eh.www.amNY.com

It's the type of music the New Yorker writes about every year or so (in fact they did write about this very project in 2002), but someone posted a random link in a random forum yesterday to Big Legal Mess Records (which is related to Fat Possum Records, the main subject of the abovelinked NYer article), and I randomly checked it out.

Apparently they are one of those groups that goes around the country searching for traditional blues players and setting them to tape. They've got a player up on their website, where you can sample some of their wares. It's good stuff. Check it.

eh.www.amNY.com

Today is the birthday of both Kim Deal (47) and Joey Santiago (43). Enjoy some classic Pixies videos.

"Gigantic"

"Where is My Mind"

"Debaser"

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So this was some sort of celebration for MySpace's 150th "Secret Show," a designation I quibble with given that they have a public website, but never mind.

We arrived just after Battles had started their set. For those unfamiliar with the band, their sound is a little bit of doom electro apocalypse anarchy. Honestly, I have no idea how you would even think to write these songs, but they're brilliant. On stage, the intensity on their faces matches the relentless, frantic droning of the guitar and various noises that they're creating. They are also, from the back of the room, visibly sweaty. This is a theme we will be returning to.

When there are vocals, they're fuzzed out beyond recognition, but it doesn't matter, because the sound is just transfixing. I'm sorry I don't know any song titles besides "Atlas" (see video above), so I can't tell you what they played, but I can tell you this music is the stuff of nightmares. Awesome nightmares. The boys are all writhing to the beat.

The way many of the songs seem to work is that they grow out of increasingly structured noodling and self-sampling, working to a frenzy and then dying out. One such song died out into "Atlas" and the room went crazy. (Also, it's at this point I notice that the high hat is up like six feet in the air.) Everyone clapped along, reinforcing the militaristic feel of the song. The demoniacally militaristic feel of the song.

They played another couple of songs after that, but, again, I have no idea what they were. They were awesome.

During the interlude between sets, we learned, if you want to get a room full of people to dance, play this song.

Gnarls after the jump...

Compare this:

Katy Perry

with this:

Jill Sobule

Not the same.

I was pretty surprised initially when I saw that Perry's version had cracked the Billboard top 5 (and is apparently tearing up the iTunes charts) ... but yeah, as we've discovered, different "Girl." It's interesting the generational change in the sentiment of the two songs. Sobule's is a tentative exploration of a burgeoning, repressed sexuality, while Perry explodes the proud tradition of getting drunk and making out with someone of your own gender (often to the delight of spectators of the opposite gender). Also, I hate the way that she takes a breath in the middle of a word: "I'm curi - [breath] - ous for you."

eh.www.amNY.com

eh.www.amNY.com

(via)

I saw Gnarls Barkley last night at Irving Plaza, and it was a fantastic show. I'll have a full write up for you later, but I wanted to share my celebrity sighting: Woody Harrelson was there! I never see famous people (mostly because I'm oblivious), so that was exciting.

Anyway, Brooklyn Vegan has more photos of the night, and I'll be back later with my review. It was good.

eh.www.amNY.com

These guys never got the attention they were due. After the release of their first album, "Everyone Who Pretended to Like Me Is Gone," they were dismissed, if they were noticed at all, as Strokes sound-alikes. And, yeah, they have that same kind of raw rock sound, but Hamilton Leithauser has a crazed emotionality to his delivery that too-cool Julian Casablancas couldn't achieve even if he tried (not that he would try; that's kind of the point). They're also a lot weirder than the Strokes.

But so anyway, they're their own band, but with three albums to their name, The Walkmen are still not as popular as they should be. But maybe fourth time's a charm. "You & Me" is due out this fall, and their management promises "romance and drama" and "viola and trumpet." It should be good.

Here's a refresher while we wait ...

"The Rat"

"We've Been Had"

"What's in it for Me"

eh.www.amNY.com

In honor of the man who climbed the NY Times building this morning, we bring you The Cramps' "Human Fly."

(NB: volume is low on the video.)

I saw these guys a few years ago, and they totally rule. Lux and Ivy are pushing, what?, 60? But they still totally rock. I interviewed Ivy two years ago, and it sounds like the two of them are still so in love, with both each other and rock and roll, which she says is the key to the band's longevity. (My favorite part of the story: "The hard part of touring, said Ivy, is that 'it’s hard to leave the cats. They’re getting old.' They have actually canceled tours because they want to stay home with the cats.")

Here's the Nouvelle Vague cover, for good measure.

eh.www.amNY.com

So I've spent a good 20 minutes looking at this press release from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. All I could gather is that one day there will be an album. And kittens.

I was reassured to see that Spinner and Brooklyn Vegan were similarly confused. It's not just me.

eh.www.amNY.com

I'll put this upfront: The following post is gonna be pretty disjointed, but bear with me.

So lately I've been going through this phase where after midnight, I think to myself, "Sleep is overrated," but in the morning, I think exactly the opposite. So I had a vague idea to do a blog entry about songs about sleep. But I looked up the following video and got distracted.

Barenaked Ladies, "Who Needs Sleep"

The band has a whole series of videos featuring Ed playing in the bathroom!

I used to love these guys. They're a really fun live show, even if they won't let you throw Kraft Dinner at them anymore. Following in the footsteps of They Might Be Giants, they recently released a kids' album, because they're all old and have kids now. You can here it here.

The other sleepytime songs I thought of were ...

"Golden Slumbers"

(Ben Folds' cover from "I Am Sam." When I originally saw some special on this movie, I thought it was a joke. It helped that it came on in the time slot that had formerly belonged to "Twitch City," a totally bizarre post-KITH Canadian sitcom.)

And ....

The Beatles, "I'm Only Sleeping"

This became one of my favorite Beatles songs ever after I bought the British version of "Revolver." My dad, of course, had the American record, because he lived in America in 1966 (and now). (For those of you who aren't dorks: The track sequencing on a few of the Beatles' American releases differed from that on the British ones because Capitol Records played mix and match with "Help!," "Rubber Soul" and "Revolver" to create "Beatles Yesterday and Today" so they could release 4 albums instead of three. Google "Butcher Cover" if you want to know more.)

So, um, there's that.

eh.www.amNY.com

I interviewed comedians Kristen Schaal and Kurt Braunohler for tomorrow's paper, and like always, not everything made it into the paper. Here's a little music-related snippet:

I asked about the "Penelope Princess of Pets" videos.

Kurt: We completed 6 more episodes in February and they are currently sitting on a shelf somewhere at the now defunct Superdeluxe offices. The delay is that the 4th episode is a music video for the New Pornographers that we shot with the band. But now Matador and Turner have decided they care a lot more about arguing about money then letting a cool video be seen by people's eyes — so lawyers have been fighting about it for 5 months now. It is very frustrating. Hopefully someone somewhere can decide to be cool and let our little video be seen by people and then everyone can see all the other episodes.

The song in question is "Mutiny, I Promise You."

eh.www.amNY.com

Martin Bisi, "Goth Chick '98"

This video looks like it was made for about five bucks, but it's awesome. Taking advantage of that authentic low budget feel, which comes from their authentic low budget, these guys create an outsider world that lovingly makes fun of the goth subculture while coming out of that same culture. My favorite part is when Bisi's mustache falls off.

The song itself is nothing special, but it's definitely different.

Also, I have a friend who frequently accuses me of being goth (because he doesn't actually know the difference between goth and punk). I don't know where to go with that thought, so I'm just going to let it sit there.

eh.www.amNY.com

Fellow amNY'er Pete Catapano weighs in on the legend's death:

He was one of rock’s most influential musicians — and sadly many don’t even know a single song by him. A year after a suffering a stroke and a heart attack, Bo Diddley died at the age of 79 yesterday.

The creator of what become known as the “Bo Diddley Beat,” the musician inspired everyone from the Rolling Stones to Buddy Holly Bruce Springsteen to George Thorogood. In fact, Thorogood should probably give about 99 percent of his royalties to Diddley’s family considering his sound came strictly from Diddley.

Need proof? Check it out..

Diddley peforms a few years ago:

George Thorogood, “Who Do You Love”

Bruce Springsteen, “She’s the One”

Rolling Stones “Not Fade Away”

Allman Brothers, “Nobody Left to Run With”

— Pete Catapano

Bo Diddley is dead at 79.

eh.www.amNY.com

I found the above genius exploration of the emotions of felt monsters this morning, which kicked off the following train of thought. Won't you join me for a ride?

(Digression: The voice of the puppet singing B-52 Kate Pierson's part is pre-"Avenue Q" Stephanie D'Abruzzo.)

So I was watching the Sesame Street video which made me, of course, think of the original song. I remember it as being tritely upbeat, which, at the time of the song's release didn't seem odd, but thinking about it now, it occurred to me that Michael "Everybody Hurts" Stipe is not really that upbeat of a guy. And of course, a quick perusal of bastion of truth Wikipedia reveals that the lyrics are a parody of Chinese propaganda or something.

But whatever, because the far more salient fact on the page is that Stipe actually hated the song and said so on "SPACE GHOST COAST TO COAST"! I loved that show when I was younger, and having watched a few episodes this morning, it still holds up. I don't know if that means that the show is just that good, or my intellect hasn't matured since I was 14.

Anyway, here he is:

If you wanna see it in Spanish, it's here (Stipe is at about the 8-minute mark). In any language, my favorite part is when Zorak asks Stipe, "Is that you in the corner?"

Of course, the way the interview is edited, there's no way to know what question Stipe was actually responding to, or what he had intended to say, when he said "I hate that song." (Which, and I may have said this before, but I think that "The Daily Show" interview style owes a lot to Space Ghost and friends.) But it was on purpose left off of their "Greatest Hits" album, so the band prolly was not so pleased by it.

Also, "Shiny Happy People" was on Blender's (undated, but I remember seeing it a year or so ago; I wish people would date things on the internet) list of 50 Worst Songs. Best critique: "[The main riff] sounds like a cellphone ring tone chosen by a sociopath."

In other news, I think I need a new ring tone.

Oh, yeah. Here's the actual song.

eh.www.amNY.com

On last week's finale of Lost, we confirm something very valuable: Jack Shepard has the coolest musical taste of any of the Castaways. (You probably don't want to continue with this post if you haven't seen Thursday's show yet.)

At about 3:50 in the video above, we find Jack in the car headed back towards the funeral home listening to the Pixies' "Gouge Away." In last year's finale, he was shown (driving to that same funeral home earlier that day) listening to Nirvana's "Scentless Apprentice." It's a subtle thing, but it's an awesome character point that Jack would be into '90s alt-rock.

Over at Lostpedia, they've got a database of what music has been used when in the show. Much of it is '50s rock and roll, because a lot of the diegetic sound is sourced from the record player in the hatch, and that's the kind of music the Dharma Initiative stocked it with. But we can see that Sharon, for example, was into Dave Matthews Band (makes sense) and Hurley had brought his Damien Rice CD with him to the island ... this was one of my favorite devices that the show used when it first started; each episode (or many of the episodes, it's been a while) ended with a standard musical montage, but music we were hearing was actually what Hurley was listening to on his CD player. Until the batteries ran out.

eh.www.amNY.com