Halloween Advice

Everyone seems to have advice on Halloween.

- "Don't be a slut for Halloween", says the Village Voice. They've noticed certain tendencies with regard to Halloween costumes, specifically that "nothing brings out a person's inner asshole like a costume." They're not talking about children here; they say these bad costume choices (homophobic/homoerotic costumes for men and slutty costumes for women) start in college. I guess people who don't go the college route are immune from this phenomenon? Oh, Village Voice, you silly elitists! Or is it reverse-elitism to imagine people who don't go to college are too enlightened to wear something homophobic? I'm baffled.

- Don't throw condoms filled with bananas, or anything else at anything or anyone - because it's illegal, environmentally unsound, a waste of perfectly good condoms and bananas, and all-around A Not Nice thing to do. And patrols have been "stepped up". "Boy racers" should be more responsible. Some costumed fellow raced up to me the other night and gave me a sample of gum. Does he count as a boy racer? If there must be boy racers, they should do positive things, like this sort of "giving" rather than "throwing". The gum racer was also a rather friendly sort, aside from mildly frightening me. Actually, if the racers could lose the "racing" aspect, that would be a plus in my book.

- Venezuelan parents should not let their children wear costumes, advises their President, Hugo Chavez. He says it's a US custom, unsuitable for South America. "Families go and begin to disguise their children as witches." Hmm. What if their children went as Harriet Miers or (perhaps more appropriate for their locale) President Hugo Chavez? Or as angels? Is the problem the witches or the idea of costumes in general? Halloween is controversial in the States too. You don't have to resent the American influence to hate Halloween!

- Learn something unusual about Halloween so you can share geeeky trivia at a Halloween party. Try to make it something others are unlikely to be able to contradict. I wouldn't bother learning things about Halloween in Italy if the roommate of the guy hosting your party grew up in Italy. He could ruin the sheen on your shiny cool information. Sure, there are different parts of Italy, and what's true in one region might not be true elsewhere, but his credibility will be higher. He'll have the accent and everything.

Assorted nifty trivia*:

(*I personally vouch for the accuracy of none of it!)

"Kabocha" is Japanese for "pumpkin".

In African, it's "pampoen".

In Dutch, it's "pompoen" (why, that's almost the same!)

In French, it's "potiron" (pot iron?!).

In Hungarian, it looks rather interesting but the accents won't show up right here...

68% of Britons believe in ghosts and spirits. 55% say they believe in God.

Children in Scotland are allegedly "likely" to say "The sky is blue, the grass is green, may we have our Halloween" instead of "Trick or Treat" when demanding candy, which seems much more timeconsuming.

Victorians played lots of Halloween games focused on the future, particularly on love. Check out this article to learn a weird game or two so you can explain to your friends that all they have to do is put a nut or two in a fire to tell if their lover(s) will cheat on them. How many nuts? Depends on how many lovers they have! It all makes perfect sense.

- You can also learn at least one version of the origin of the jack o' lantern... If anyone is wearing some costume you think is evil, subject them to a long version of the story.


Have a Happy and Safe Halloween!

MP3:Siouxsie and the Banshees - Halloween (from Juju)

MP3:Tricky - Pumpkin (from Maxinquaye)

MP3:Bow Wow Wow - I Want Candy (from Just Can't Get Enough - New Wave Hits of the 1980s, Vol. 5)

Billy Bragg Box Set, Reissues Announced, New Nonprofit CD Single Available Now

Yep Roc Records has announced the February 21 release of a multitude of Billy Bragg-related goodness. Bragg's first four releases have been re-mastered and will be re-released individually. Included are the Life's a Riot with Spy vs. Spy and Brewing Up With Billy Bragg EPs, Talking to the Taxman About Poetry, and "a release that combines the Live & Dubious and Internationale EPs". Each will also be available as part of a 7-CD box set that will include 2 DVDs with previously unavailable live footage.



You don't have to wait for 2006 for "We Laughed", a CD single Bragg wrote with Maxine Edington. The song "celebrates the power of laughter and love between Maxine, who has cancer, and her teenage daughter Jessica." It's sung by Helena, with Bragg on acoustic rhythm guitar. The song is currently available from itunes and a three-track CD single will be released Oct. 31 in the U.K (Bragg co-wrote each of the songs with women at the Trimar Hospice in Weymouth). Bragg says both Rosetta Life and the Trimar Hospice will benefit from the sales of this CD."

The single can be (pre-)ordered from Townsend Records, which will ship outside the U.K (but only if you want them to).

Bragg is scheduled to appear at South by Southwest in Austin next March, and then tour the U.S. for a couple weeks.

MP3:Billy Bragg - A Lover Sings (from Back to Basics, the Brewing Up With Billy Bragg EP, and Must I Paint You a Picture? The Essential Billy Bragg)

MP3:Billy Bragg - Greetings To The New Brunette (from Talking With The Taxman About Poetry and Must I Paint You a Picture? The Essential Billy Bragg)

MP3:Billy Bragg - The Marriage (from Talking With The Taxman About Poetry and Must I Paint You a Picture? The Essential Billy Bragg)

MP3:Billy Bragg - There Is Power In A Union (from Talking With The Taxman About Poetry and Must I Paint You a Picture? The Essential Billy Bragg)

MP3:Billy Bragg - She's Got A New Spell (from Worker's Playtime -- not one of the reissues, it should be noted -- and Must I Paint You a Picture? The Essential Billy Bragg)

New McSweeney's: Like Mail, But Not.

Unsurprisingly, McSweeney's (a fairly unconventional quarterly "journal created by nervous people in relative obscurity") has done something unusual with its latest issue. McSweeney's Issue 17, pictured above, has been designed to resemble a stack of mail. It's described as "an ordinary-looking bundle of mail, stacked and rubber-banded, containing the usual items: a recent issue of Yeti Researcher; a large envelope, called Envelope, containing fine oversized reproductions of new art; a sausage-basket catalog; a flyer for slashed prices on garments that are worn by more than one person at a time; a new magazine of experimental fiction called Unfamiliar; a couple letters... the usual. This might be the strangest and most pleasure-giving issue yet."

It's certainly pretty strange. McSweeney's does have much to offer though, including the following, conveniently located on its website...

Recommended McSweeney's Linkage:

What I Would Be Thinking About If I Were Billy Joel Driving Toward A Holiday Party Where I Knew There Was Going to Be a Piano by Michael Ian Black (very funny)

Michael Ian Black is a Very Famous Celebrity - Links to various McSweeney's pieces by Black

Short Essays on Favorite Songs, Inspired by Nick Hornby's Songbook (Essays are by different authors, about songs by Duran Duran, the Replacements, Kate Bush, U2, and Beethoven, among many others)

Reviews of New Food

John Moe's Pop-Song Correspondences

MP3:Wilco - Box Full of Letters (from A.M.. Love the song, adore Wilco. Their live album, Kicking Television (yeah! kick it!) is due out next month, and Wilco hopes to release a new studio album next year, their first with new band members Pat Sansone and Nels Cline. Both play guitar; Sansone is also a keyboardist)

MP3:PJ Harvey - The Letter (from Uh Huh Her)

MP3:Stars - Elevator Love Letter (from Heart. Love this song, looking forward to seeing the group open for Death Cab next month in L.A.)

MP3:Art Brut - Modern Art (from Bang Bang Rock & Roll)

MP3:Cursive - Art is Hard (from The Ugly Organ. A bit abrasive/screamy at times, but I like it anyway -- I don't tend to love those qualities)

Office Space - Now With Flair

I ended my recent little run of bad movies last night with Nightmare Before Christmas, which I had never seen before, but if I needed something to break the streak, this flick would do it. Newly available this Tuesday, November 1: a deluxe edition of the Office Space DVD, titled Office Space - Special Edition With Flair. It includes "Out of the Office: An Office Space retrospective with Mike Judge", as well as deleted scenes, and the trailer (big deal). Based on that list of special features, this special edition doesn't sound as special as it should be. Office Space is one of my favourite movies and it deserves a really top-notch special edition! Lots of bells and whistles (not literally, that would be annoying). The list price is $19.98 (it's currently $13.99 at Amazon), which isn't horrible, but it's a bit pricey considering that a lot of people already own it and that the special features are a tad on the skimpy side. They haven't even added a commentary track. Maybe they're saving that for the "anniversary edition".



For those willing to pay $22.99, Best Buy will sell them a version called Office Space Extra Special Edition Exclusive DVD which includes a mousepad, coffee mug, magnet picture frame, notepad, "pen/pencil" (a combination?), and most significantly, a red Swingline stapler. You could buy one separately, but this is a clever idea. They will probably sell like hotcakes at the holidays, or possibly sell like hotcakes if they came with a red Swingline stapler.

MP3:Geto Boys - Damn It Feels Good to Be a Gangsta (from Office Space: The Motion Picture Soundtrack)

MP3:Perez Prado - Mambo #8 (from Office Space: The Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Dissecting "The Weather Man"

The Weather Man is the story of a man who feels he falls short at everything, and that he is mediocre, a constant disappointment to everyone. Sadly, the movie falls short, and is mediocre.

Nicolas Cage plays Dave Spritz. He shortened his last name from Spritzel for TV; he is of course a T.V. weatherman -- local, although he has hopes of landing a national gig. He is not a meteorologist, and this bothers him greatly. He gets his forecasts from a meteorologist, and although he tries to understand them, his main contributions are the addition of cutesy spins like "the Spritz Nipper", the one day each week he predicts will be the coldest. He resents the attention these catchphrases generate, and reacts angrily when people approach him to ask what the Nipper is. He feels these catchphrases and his "showbiz name" are what inspire anger in some people. That would explain why people sometimes throw drinks and fast food at him. This is a running gag throughout the movie, often used for humour, sometimes for a more poignant, sad impact. It's a creative bit, used cleverly, although it's never clear quite why this particular forecaster inspires so much ire. Why don't people do this to all forecasters, if merely getting predictions wrong and mildly obnoxious behaviour provokes this sort of reaction?

In any event, Dave has much more to worry about than high dry-cleaning bills. His family life leaves a lot to be desired. He desperately wants to reconcile with his ex-wife, who might or might not hate him, but definitely has a boyfriend (who reminded me of Stuart Smalley). His son, fresh out of rehab, might have a troublesome relationship with one of his ex-counselors. His moody daughter hates everything, is being picked-on by the other kids, and is smoking. His father, a Very Important Author (naturally, this is what Dave aspires to be as well) is ill. Michael Caine plays Dave's father, and is the Voice of Wisdom in The Weather Man. When there is a real lesson to be conveyed, he's the one to convey it, sometimes in a fairly fake "movie" way.

So, pretty much everything sucks for Dave. Oh, except he can easily get sex, because he's on T.V. Woot! Everything that happens is largely conveyed via voiceover by Nicolas Cage. This a clunky form of storytelling when done in excess. It just gets old. The plotting was awkward; it essentially felt like a list of insufficiently related things happening until it was time for the ending. Dave takes his daughter to a company picnic. Dave takes archery lessons. Dave gets an audition. When the film was about two-thirds over, momentum abruptly started to quickly build toward the conclusion. Another audience member said the film felt "episodic". Darn him for thinking of the description first. He's absolutely right. He also said, "It was all over the place; it didn't lead anywhere." He said he felt frustrated. I partly agree with that. I do feel the film lead somewhere, in that it was trying to make a point. The point may not have been made as well as it could have been, but I think the conclusion of the film was at least sufficiently consistent with some of the "life lessons" taught by Michael Caine's character.

I'll try to save you about $10 and a couple hours or so. This may not be exactly the right quote but it's close: "The right thing and the hard thing are often the same thing" and "Easy doesn't enter into grown-up life." The film, in its meandering, episodic way, led to Dave's gradual acceptance that life is partly about compromise and about reassessing your expectations in light of (ick) reality. "You can't always get what you want. But if you try sometimes, well, you might find. You get what you need." They didn't use that song in the movie; they used "Like a Rock". Ah, well. I always keep my expectations for music in movies low (nothing against "Like a Rock", but the Stones song would have been a good fit).

The Weather Man isn't terrible, it's just mediocre... it does have some good laughs, but it took a while to get going, was not very entertaining or consistently funny or witty, and is a downer, and was pretty boring for some stretches. Spritz is not a particularly appealing or compelling character. Cage's performance was fine. Caine is good, his character was interesting, but we didn't get a sense of any depth to him or to his wisdom. Dave's oft-hysterical wife seems like a pretty bad mother and is otherwise a cipher. Dave's mother is almost entirely a non-entity. She appeared once and then I forgot she existed until she showed up again later on. Gemmenne de la Pena delivered a good performance as Dave's daughter, but the role calls for her to be so sullen and unpleasant that its a pretty thankless task. Nicholas Hoult is also good as Dave's neglected son, but his abuse subplot seemed at best pointless, at worst exploitive. The bottom line is that I don't recommend The Weather Man though I am amused at another movie title "requiring" me to say I am dissecting a person in the review headline.

Arctic Monkeys - Live Oct. Concert Tracks

These kids desperately need some more exposure. Please won't somebody think of the children?

From their Oct. 3 2005 Manchester concert, from "In The City" on Radio One:

MP3:Arctic Monkeys - A Certain Romance (live)

MP3:Arctic Monkeys - Dancing Shoes (live)

MP3:Arctic Monkeys - Fake Tales of San Francisco (live)

MP3:Arctic Monkeys - I Bet You Look Good on the Dance Floor (live)

MP3:Arctic Monkeys - Mardy Bum (live)

MP3:Arctic Monkeys - Scummy (live) (edited to note that the title of this song has now been "officially" changed to "When the Sun Goes Down"; it has been announced that it will be the next Arctic Monkeys sinfle to be released on January 16th. I'm leaving the MP3 tagged as-is; it was the title at the time and it seems this is the best way to avoid confusion)

MP3:Arctic Monkeys - Vampires (live)

updated to add one more:

MP3: Arctic Monkeys - Still Take You Home (live)

Hot Press Magazine and Live & Rare CD

A mag (with-a-CD!) I've never seen before! "Printed in Ireland! (I have a "thing" for Ireland). And I didn't even drool on it! Aren't you proud of my high degree of self-control? Admittedly, I had just had a haircut, so I really would not have wanted to mess it up with drool. At least not until tomorrow.

The mag is Hot Press, and it's issued every fortnight. They cover politics, games, film, and other forms of entertainment as well as music. I'm down with that. Franz Ferdinand are on the cover of the current issue, which also includes interviews with Joss Whedon, mastermind of the disappointing movie Serenity and one with Gemma Hayes. There are reviews aplenty as well.

The CD is called "Live & Rare Vol.1 - 13 exclusive tracks from Ireland's favorite acts". It was produced with Jon Richards of Galway Bay FM and includes songs originally aired on his InStudio Sessions program. They also appear on the 39-track double album EmBraces.

The CD is really strong.

Live & Rare Vol.1 - 13 exclusive tracks from Ireland's favorite acts Track Listing:

1.MP3:Damien Rice - I Remember
2. The Frames - Lay Me Down
3. Jerry Fish & the Mudbug Club - True Friends
4. Mundy - Healthy
5. Rodrigo y Gabriela - Diem
6. MP3:The Devlins - There is a Light
7. The 4 of Us - Washington Down
8. MP3:Nina Hynes - Universal
9. MP3:Josh Ritter - Come and Find Me
10. MP3:Ron Sexsmith - Tell Me Again
11.MP3:Ann Scott - Start
12. Roesy - Trailing the True Star
13. The Sawdoctors - Clare Island

Rock Sound Mag November CD

The November 2005 of U.K. magazine RockSound includes a couple of CDs. One promises "15 naughty but niceties from this month's issue featuring new and exclusive tracks from Soulfly, Johnny Truant, Taint, Minus the Bear, Louis XIV, Arctic Monkeys, God Forbid." Notice the shockingly low billing for Arctic Monkeys. Their definition of "exclusive" is a little weird at RockSound, though. The exclusive track from Minus the Bear is "Pachuca Sunrise", a track from their latest CD, currently available both in the States in the U.K. Every track on the current CD except the ones by the Test Icicles and Shaped by Fate, and the God Forbid Interview is labeled "exclusive." For the last RockSound mag CD I posted I looked up all the tracks to see whether the tracks were currently available elsewhere, and found most were. I think by the time the mag crossed the pond some "forthcoming" CDs became "available". This time, I'm just leaving out the word "exclusive." Most probably are or will be available elsewhere, some may not...

The second CD is called Burn and it's too hard-edged (i.e. contains too much screaming) for my tastes. So I'm sticking to posting a few songs from the first CD.

Rock Sound Music With Attitude Vol. 78 Track Listing:

1. God Forbid - Chains of Humanity
2. Johnny Truant - Throne Vertigo
3. Taint - I'm Going to Kill Henry Ford
4. Doomriders - Ride or Die
5. Burst - Homebound
6. Upcleftcdowncrightcabc+Start - Silent Fire
7. MP3:Minus the Bear - Pachuca Sunrise
8. Shots Fired - Squires at Bristol
9. The Automatic - Rats (demo)
10. MP3:Arctic Monkeys - Dancing Shoes (demo)
11. MP3:Louis XIV - Pledge of Allegiance
12. MP3:Test Icicles - Boa vs. Python
13. Beyond All Reason - Love Crossed Pistols
14. Soulfly - Frontlines
15. Shaped by Fate - Turn to Dusk
16. God Forbid - Interview

In an 80s Mood

Feeling somewhat 80s, a bit excessive, and not very wordy, so without further blahblah, here are a lot of songs from the 80s... movie screening tonight, so a return to wordiness for the review, if not sooner...

Arcadia - Election Day (from Beat of the 80's Vol. 1)

Flying Lizards - Money (That's What I Want) (from Just Can't Get Enough - New Wave Hits of the 80s Vol. 1)

The Mighty Lemon Drops - Inside Out (from World Without End)

Bryan Ferry - Slave to Love (from More Than This: The Best Of Bryan Ferry And Roxy Music)

Oingo Boingo - Not My Slave (from Boi-ngo. Oingo Boingo used to play Halloween concerts in L.A. so it seems appropriate for a music blogger 'round these parts to post Oingo Boingo at this time of year. Even though I never went to an Oingo Boingo concert, let alone one of the Halloween ones. I liked them though!)

Oingo Boingo - Wild Sex (In the Working Class) (from Nothing to Fear)

Go West - Call Me (from Aces and Kings: The Best of Go West)

Kraftwerk - The Telephone Call (from Electric Cafe)

The Call - The Walls Came Down (from Just Can't Get Enough - New Wave Hits of the 80s Vol. 10)

The Smiths - A Rush and a Push and the Land is Ours (from Strangeways, Here We Come)

Kirsty MacColl - A New England (Billy Bragg cover, from The One and Only)

Red Rockers - China (from Just Can't Get Enough - New Wave Hits of the 80s Vol. 10)

EBN-OZN - AEIOU Sometimes Y (from Living In Oblivion: The 80s Greatest Hits, Vol. 3)

Terence Trent D'Arby - Wishing Well (Three Coins in a Fountain Mix) (from Back to the 80s: The Long Versions)

Talk Talk - Such a Shame (from Back to the 80s: The Long Versions)

Captain Sensible - Wot (from Just Can't Get Enough - New Wave Hits of the 80s Vol. 6)

Nick Lowe - Cruel to Be Kind (from Just Can't Get Enough - New Wave Hits of the 80s Vol. )

Go West - We Close Our Eyes (from Aces and Kings: The Best of Go West)

A Flock of Seagulls - Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You) (from Just Can't Get Enough - New Wave Hits of the 80s Vol. 10)

Martha & the Muffins - Echo Beach (from Just Can't Get Enough - New Wave Hits of the 80s Vol. 2)

X - White Girl (from Just Can't Get Enough - New Wave Hits of the 80s Vol. 6. This is not a new wave song, but at least its inclusion gives it more exposure)

Psychedelic Furs - Love My Way (from Just Can't Get Enough - New Wave Hits of the 80s Vol. 9)

The House of Love - Hope (from The House of Love)

The Monroes - What Do All the People Know(from Just Can't Get Enough - New Wave Hits of the 80s Vol. 4)

Pete Shelley - Homosapien (from Just Can't Get Enough - New Wave Hits of the 80s Vol. 5)

Talking Heads - And She Was (from Little Creatures)

The Replacements - I Hate Music (from Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash)

Comes With a Smile Mag (Vol. 19) and CD (Vol. 15!)

The 19th volume of Comes With a Smile features two different covers featuring Frank Black (although I guess if they were two of the same covers that would make little sense) and includes the fifteenth volume of the Comes With a Smile CD. Wacky! I think they should include extra CDs with the next issue and get caught up. Volume 15 of the CD includes songs by Richard Buckner, Sleater-Kinney, Four Tet, The American Analog Set, Laura Veirs, and Frank Black, but it's hard to appreciate them quite as much now that I have the vague feeling I should have 5 Comes With a Smile CDs!

The mag itself contains interviews with The American Analog Set, Frank Black (who questions whether there's "any demand for the Pixies to make a record. It's a live thing." He says the band is "a little bit wary" and "might still do it". I seem to recall them saying they would do it, hmph! I still think they will), Richard Buckner, Laura Cantrell, colleen, David Eugene Edwards, Espers, Four Tet, Magnolia Electric Co., Marissa Nadler, Sleater-Kinney, Smog, Maria Taylor, Tremulous Monk, Laura Veirs, and Vetiver, along with loads of reviews.

Comes With a Smile Volume 15 Track Listing:

1. Espers - Firefly Refrain
2. Picastro - Shorter Hard
3. MP3:Richard Buckner - Pull (live on RCF, France May 2003)
4. MP3:Sleater-Kinney - Entertain (live on XFM, UK, April 2005) (this performance makes an interesting contrast to Buckner's. Clips of both could be used in, say, a coffee commercial. Bucker - before caffeine. Sleater-Kinney - after)
5. MP3:The American Analog Set - Everything Ends In Spring (edit)
6. Aaron Stout - The Ballad of Mr Lamatta
7. Marissa Nadler - Flora Barone, Queen of the Vaudeville Throne
8. MP3:Four Tet - Both When I'm Alone and We Both Are
9. Tremulous Monk - Tea Hippy
10. MP3:Laura Veirs - Flotsam 'n' Jetsam
11. MP3:David Eugene Edwards - Nobody 'Cept You
12. MP3:Vetiver (featuring Hairy Fairy) - You May Be Blue (live at Les Vieilles Charrue, Brittany July 2005)
13. colleen - The Zither Song
14. Laura Cantrell - Hammer and Nails
15. Pacific Ocean Fire - My Drinking Days Are Done
16. Maria Taylor - The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
17. Frank Black - Atlantis

Death Cab for Cutie Concert Will Be Webcast Live Tonight

At about 9:45 PM EST tonight, NPR.org will webcast Death Cab for Cutie's concert at Washington D.C.'s 9:30 Club. The webcast will be live. Death Cab is possibly expected to begin their set at the 9:30 Club at about 9:45 because they are trying to show that they have a naughty rebellious edge. I find that adorable! In its June '04 issue SPIN named these rapscallions one of 25 "rock underdogs", "critically adored artists" with the "pop potential" of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, who may need "a little break" to "finally break out". (Actually they had to share the honour with The Postal Service. Way to hedge your bet there, SPIN!) The mag noted that "Death Cab for Cutie get mentioned on The OC a lot." As do most rock underdogs.

Previous concert performances webcast on NPR.org have been archived for your listening pleasure; the set by former underdogs Death Cab will no doubt be there not terribly long after the set. Artists whose concerts are archived there now include The White Stripes, My Morning Jacket, Secret Machines, Kings of Leon, Sigur Ros, David Gray, Bloc Party, The Decemberists, Interpol, and Wilco.

MP3:Death Cab for Cutie - World Shut Your Mouth (Julian Cope cover, was included with a video e-card promoting "Title & Registration")

MP3:Death Cab for Cutie - This Charming Man (The Smiths cover, from You Can Play These Songs With Chords)

MP3:Death Cab for Cutie - I Was a Kaleidoscope (live) (from the "We Laugh Indoors" CD-single)

MP3:Death Cab for Cutie - 405 (acoustic) (from the Forbidden Love EP)

MP3:Death Cab for Cutie - President of What? (from Something About Airplanes)

MP3:Death Cab for Cutie - Expo '86 (from Transatlanticism)

MP3:Death Cab for Cutie - Underwater! (from the Sub Pop singles club)

The Song Stylings of Nimoy & Shatner

Inspired by a ridiculous conversation about the universe, some equally ridiculous space music. Leonard Nimoy's album Mr. Spock's Music From Outer Space is out of print, for some reason I can't fathom, and used copies are ridiculously expensive. So I'm posting more tracks from it than I ordinarily would. William Shatner's "Theme from Cyrano" actually has a space link. His take on "It Was a Very Good Year"... well, it somehow seems "not of this world", anyway. A couple songs from Shatner's Has Been finish off the post, and aren't especially space-related. They do show the value of a singer teaming up with the right collaborators and producer. I can only hope Nimoy will keep trying until he hits upon just the right combination.

MP3:Leonard Nimoy - Highly Illogical

MP3:Leonard Nimoy - Twinkle, Twinkle Little Earth

MP3:Leonard Nimoy - Music to Watch Space Girls By (apparently the music from a Diet Pepsi ad, with the word "Space" added to fit with the theme of the album)

MP3:Leonard Nimoy - You Are Not Alone

MP3:Leonard Nimoy - Alien



MP3:William Shatner - Theme from Cyrano (from The Transformed Man)

MP3:William Shatner - It Was a Very Good Year (from The Transformed Man)

MP3:William Shatner - Together (feat Lemon Jelly) (from Has Been, produced by Ben Folds. Shatner's other collaborators on the album included Joe Jackson, Adrian Belew, Aimee Mann, and Henry Rollins)

MP3:William Shatner - Ideal Woman (from Has Been)

New Texas: "Sleep", "What About Us"

Texas is set to release their seventh album of new material on Nov. 7 (or possibly Oct. 31... some say the deluxe edition is out on Nov. 7, but the regular one is out on Halloween. According to Amazon.co.uk and HMV, both versions are out Nov. 7; Texas says it's out Oct. 31 and the group is doing some HMV store appearances starting then, so the album should at least be available for those appearances... and neither date is right if you're in the U.S. Of course a Texas album shouldn't come out in the States at all! Oh, it's all so confusing!).

Where was I? Ah yes, the album: Red Book, their seventh as it so happens. Texas released its first album in 1989, and in its review (click news to read it), Q points out that there were eight years in between the group's first top 10 single and their second. That length of time could be viewed as symptomatic of a Group With Issues, but in the often-fickle world of pop music, perhaps Texas' endurance says something positive about the band and about the U.K. public's willingness to hang in there with a group that's neither a flavour-of-the-month boy (or girl) band nor a Super-Group That Has Conquered The World like U2.

On the other hand, "Getaway", the first single from Red Book, was released in August and after debuting at #6 on the U.K. singles chart, soon dove down the chart. Maybe it was the song, maybe a lack of interest in the group, time will tell... Q gave the album 4 stars and singled out several songs for praise, including "Sleep", a duet between Texas' singer (and guitarist) Sharleen Spiteri and Blue Nile's Paul Buchanan. I hate the opening of "Sleep" oh so much. Spiteri's first lines are way too artificial and affected for me. Overall, the song is a at least a shade too "pop" or something that feels "off" for me. Pop is not my favourite genre, but I recognize that it's a good pop song, and I love Paul Buchanan's voice. I would have liked more layering of their voices, more harmonizing together... and a bit less sticky-sweetness. Still, I'd like to hear Paul Buchanan duets with oodles of female singers, and he can make them a bit fake-feeling if he must.

"Can't Resist" is the next single from Red Book and it absolutely will be available on Halloween. It's an upbeat, (mildly) dancey tune and references the "cold of November" -- nudge, nudge. Hey, November! It's timely.

Instead of posting the single, I'm posting "What About Us". Some of the music sounds exactly like another song, but it hasn't yet clicked for me what that other song is... if you know, please let me know! .000000000000015% of my brain is probably trying to figure it out as I go about my daily life and if relieved of that task it could move on to something more important like pondering how best to rid the world of capelets.

As for those HMV appearances: Texas has scheduled three of them. The group -- along with Spiteri, the members are bassist Johnny McElhone, keyboardist Eddie Campbell, guitarist Ally McErlaine, and drummer Richard Hynd -- will appear at the Liverpool HMV at 5:30 PM on October 31, and on November 1 will make two HMV appearances. At 12:30 PM, they'll help open the Hemel Hempstead HMV (well, alright, it's just an expression. I wouldn't expect to see them doing any hard labour to help with the opening). Then at 5:00 PM, they'll conclude their flurry of HMV fun at the Birmingham store.

Two songs from the forthcoming Red Book:

MP3:Texas - Sleep (feat. Paul Buchanan)

MP3:Texas - What About Us (Repeating myself... some of the music sounds exactly like another song, but it hasn't yet clicked for me what the other song is... if you know, please tell me!)

Sparkles, No. Camera, Yes.

So Chris Elliott a.k.a. The Guy Under the Seats a.k.a. male model Sparkles has written a parody of a historical crime thriller. It's called The Shroud of the Thwacker, and in an "exclusive video" at Amazon, Elliott promises after reading "Shroud", you will "not only will you question why you bought the book in the first place, but you'll question your own sense of reality, who you are as a human being in this world, and possibly your own sexuality to boot."

Hey, all I needed to know was that Elliott wrote it! He was also scheduled to discuss and sign the book at a Southern Cal. bookstore today. I showed up; Sparkles did not. I didn't see any copies of "Shroud", but it's possible I missed them and I didn't ask for a copy... If he ends up doing another signing in Southern Cal., I might go to that, so better to not buy the book yet. I don't know that distribution problems caused the cancellation, and I didn't ask, but I did hear an employee tell someone that they didn't know why the signing was cancelled or whether it would be rescheduled.

A bummer... but there has been good news today too. For one thing, I have inherited a very nifty digital camera from my brother, the first that's my own, not borrowed... I had decision paralysis about which kind to get, so this is especially nice (and free!). I have already learned how to use the "red-eye reducer" button (I am such a quick study!), so if Chris Elliott shows up somewhere in the greater L.A. area at a semi-convenient time and place, by gum his picture will show up here, and his eyes will not not be a glowing red. (Yeah, I know that can be fixed later anyway! But still!)

These next four songs are by Handsome Boy Modeling School, named after the modeling school Chris Elliott's character attends in the Get a Life episode "The Prettiest Week of My Life". The first two songs feature audio from that episode.

MP3:Handsome Boy Modeling School - Look At This Face (Oh My God They're Gorgeous) (from So... How's Your Girl)

MP3:Handsome Boy Modeling School - Modeling Sucks (from So... How's Your Girl)

MP3:Handsome Boy Modeling School - Rock and Roll (Could Never Hip Hop Like This) Part 2 (from White People)

MP3:Handsome Boy Modeling School (feat. Cat Power) - I've Been Thinking (from White People)

MP3:Spoon - I Turn My Camera On (from Gimme Fiction)

Hmmm... a stretch perhaps to get from decision paralysis to this but what the heck?

MP3:Bob Mould - Paralyzed (LoudBomb ClubMix) (from the deluxe edition of Body of Song)

Dissecting "Shopgirl"

Shopgirl stars Steve Martin, Claire Danes, and Jason Schwartzman. It is being promoted as a romantic comedy, but it's neither romantic nor a comedy. There are a few laughs, but it's really not romantic at all. It's a fairly icy story of characters who randomly select other characters to "love" and/or sleep with for no apparent reason other than proximity, then randomly change their minds, then repeat. Sure, some of the characters speak of love in a positive way, but they seem to have no real understanding of it. We never get to know any of the characters well, or understand their choices. From what I came to know of most of them and their choices, I wound up disliking almost all of them.

The unusual premise in the film is that a man in his 50s (Steve Martin's character, Ray Porter), walks into Saks Fifth Avenue and buys an expensive pair of gloves from a shopgirl (the much younger Mirabelle Buttersfield, played by Clare Danes). He has the gloves sent to her home, along with an invitation to dinner. He later shows up at the store and tells her the name of the restaurant, the date, and the time of the reservation, but not why he "chose" her. She shows up at the restaurant, and asks a lot of questions, but narrator Steve Martin makes a point of Mirabelle's not asking this one question, "Why her?" My friend thought this was foreshadowing that Ray was dangerous, perhaps a rapist. I generally enjoy Steve Martin's films, but I have not read Shopgirl. However, I was familiar enough with it that I knew Ray was not a rapist... he was a man who for some reason wanted to strike up some sort of relationship with this shopgirl, and who succeeded in doing so. It is at least bad writing to highlight the importance of the question "Why her?" in this way and then leave the audience without any answer.

My friend also didn't understand why Steve Martin was the narrator. I explained that he wrote the novella Shopgirl, and adapted it for the screen. If that explanation is necessary for his serving as narrator to make any sense, he should not have been the narrator. In a film where there are three main characters, why choose the one the audience feels the most emotional distance from to narrate actions not involving him? To make the film feel more cold than it already does? It felt odd. Why should Ray narrate how Mirabelle feels about having sex with another man? It just didn't make sense; it had nothing to do with him. Ray wasn't there and never knows about this; it is not relevant to their relationship. So we are asked to believe that there is Ray and Narrator Ray, who is really Steve Martin. It's a distraction, and took me out of the movie.

My friend maintains that Shopgirl has no plot. This is perhaps a bit overly harsh. To oversimplify, how about "Girl meets boy, girl becomes involved with boy, girl then also becomes involved with "older boy" because he purchases gloves for her (thus cheating on boy?), complexities ensue involving these three people and others as two hours go by (okay, the movie is 104 minutes long. Alas it feels like two hours go by).

I have seen the movie described as "telling the truth about relationships". Told my friend this and she said, "That they're meaningless and empty?" In the bathroom after the movie (well, that's where this was said!), one woman rather longingly said, "That movie made me want to fall in love." Her friend seemed shocked, and replied, "Really? With the issues in that movie, it made me concerned about falling in love!"

Anyone living their life or conducting their relationships like these characters might well have a harder time finding a genuine love and being able to sustain it, but that's not "love's fault" or the movie's fault... I didn't like any of the relationships in Shopgirl. A healthy, genuine, loving, mutually giving relationship is not to be found here. These are sad, lonely characters, and I wanted to be able to root for their happiness... Some want love -- as best they understand it. All of them want sex. Most are pretty shallow, selfish, and unlikeable.

The one likeable character is Jeremy, played by Jason Schwartzman. At the beginning of the movie he is unpolished. He has scraggly facial hair, does not always speak smoothly, and needs to borrow money from Mirabelle both at the laundromat and at the movies. In contrast, Ray immediately demonstrates his wealth by purchasing those expensive gloves for Mirabelle. He then meets her for dinner in Beverly Hills. He later pays off her student loans (without asking first), and often gives her expensive presents, including birthday gifts, which he gives her on the wrong day. Early in the relationship, Ray tells his therapist (who we never see again) that Mirabelle understands the relationship is strictly about sex, and he intends the relationship to be an open one. Mirabelle does not think of herself as a prostitute (or think it is all about sex). She mistakes the gifts as tokens of love, though Ray never says the word. Ray lives in a minimalistic house -- all glass and white, very clean... cold. At some point it becomes more-or-less clear that Ray does have some real feelings for Mirabelle, but the depiction of these feelings is weak. How most of the characters feel about each-other is muddled... The feeling is mostly that they float from person to person, and anyone will do. Mirabelle becomes attached to Ray, as though she loves him, but it's not clear why she feels this way or when it happens... Are gifts all it takes to win her love? She does not seem to have any real understanding of love.

Jason Schwartzman's character "improves" himself through the course of the movie, inside and out (if you consider a shave and a suit an improvement over a t-shirt and jeans; I believe we are asked to accept that the changes make him "better"). He was arguably the character the least in need of "fixing". Martin could argue his desire to improve is proof that he was a "good guy". If so, I say it's still more proof he deserved a happier ending (not a spoiler, really). I also found some of the actions of the new, enlightened Jeremy's inexplicable. They just didn't make any sense.

I feel the same way about the movie. For the most part, the film was about a bunch of characters I didn't feel I knew doing a bunch of things for reasons I didn't understand. I am a Steve Martin fan, and was surprised I disliked Shopgirl so much. It wasn't agony. It was watchable... and there are some cute moments and a few good laughs, some from Martin, mostly from Schwartzman, who is excellent. Danes' Mirabelle has troubke making connections and it bothers her. We are told this, not shown it. This, and some other aspects of Mirabelle's character are not sufficiently well-depicted. I blame this perhaps 60% on the writing and 40% on Danes. There are some things about her character I think she should have showed us, and didn't, but I'm not sure the script was written in a way that helped her do this well, or that director Anand Tucker gave her any guidance other than to reveal the character as slowly as she did, and to sometimes act like something of a cipher. I thought her character was supposed to be more complex, though, and there were only the oddest hints of that. I found it confusing. Again, why was Ray interested in her? Why was Schwartzman interested in her? Why? Why? Why?

I enjoyed Death Cab for Cutie's "Someday You Will Be Loved" "not only because I like its sound, but because it's so damn cold." Ben Gibbard sings the track from the point of view of a selfish character, and we don't understand why he is that way, and I didn't find him especially likeable, but I did find him intriguing. An unlikeable character with somewhat mysterious motivations may be entertaining for a song that lasts a shade over three minutes, but it's a tougher task to almost entirely populate a feature-length film with such characters. I often found Seinfeld's characters unlikeable, but the show was often funny, and I understood the characters motivations. If the characters are unlikeable and I don't understand them, why should I care?

Disclaimer: None of these songs are in the movie...

MP3:Fountains of Wayne - Kid Gloves (from Out of State Plates)

MP3:Foreigner - Cold As Ice (from The Very Best... And Beyond, etc.)

MP3:The Postal Service - Clark Gable (from Give Up)

MP3:Death Cab for Cutie - Someday You Will Be Loved (from Plans)

MP3:Of Montreal - There Is Nothing Wrong With Hating Rock Critics (from If He Is Protecting Our Nation, Then Who Will Protect Big Oil, Our Children?)

New Harry Potter Song Feat. Jarvis Cocker, Members of Radiohead

The upcoming film "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" features a band consisting of Pulp's Jarvis Cocker, Radiohead's guitarist Jonny Greenwood and drummer Phil Selway, Steve Claydon of Add N to (X), and Jason Buckle. The soundtrack will include three songs by the band.

One of these songs, "This is the Night", is now available for download, along with "The Story Continues", the first track from the score.

Arctic Monkeys in L.A. - Tickets Now Available

Event: Arctic Monkeys
Venue: Spaceland
1717 Silverlake Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90027

Please note: persons under the age of 21 will not be admitted.
Seating: GENERAL ADMISSION
Time: Friday, November 18 at 9:00 PM
Quantity: 2

Oh yeah. I'm happy.

As of this writing, tickets are still available and a mere $10 each (not counting the service charge, $6 for my two tickets, a pittance I tell you!). They won't last long, so grab some quickly, but if you buy intending to scalp them, I shall have to wish bad karma upon you because that's scummy. So please don't do that; leave the tickets for the real fans. Although come to think of it, why would you be reading this if you weren't a fan? Excellent point. Alright then. As you were!

updated because there are cities other than Los Angeles... upcoming tour dates for Arctic Monkeys include lots of other cities, including a couple shows in New York, and shows in San Francisco and Toronto. Tickets for some of these shows are also available now!

updated again -- tickets to the L.A. show are no longer available through TicketWeb but check out TicketWeb and Spaceland for more info if you're interested in the show; you may not be out of luck...

MP3:Arctic Monkeys - Still Take You Home

MP3:Arctic Monkeys - Curtains Close

Protest Ringtones

It might be going a step too far to suggest that ring tones are the new protest songs. After all, we are living in an era of powerful, angry message songs such as... well, alright, so this isn't a great era for protest songs. After Live 8, some wondered, "where were the artists with something to say?" I think it actually isn't difficult to find "music with a message". In particular, the Iraq War has prompted many songs. While some are supportive of the war and the Bush Administration, the vast majority are not. However, a band like Rilo Kiley is unlikely to be able to capture the public's imagination and bring them together with a song like "It's a Hit" in the way Edwin Starr could with "War". Even once public sentiment seemed to move from the "pro" to the "con" column with regard to the war, no single song has seemed to capture that anti-war spirit. Words have probably proved more powerful than songs during this wartime, even when it comes to statements by singers, whether its the Dixie Chicks' declaration that they're ashamed George Bush is from Texas or Morrissey's urging his fans to vote for John Kerry, stating that "Bush has single-handedly turned the United States into the most neurotic and terror-obsessed country on the planet." (For the record, Morrissey said that "Jon Stewart would be ideal" but he wasn't an option, so he gave the ol' Moz endorsement to Kerry. This was no doubt very valuable, as most Morrissey fans are likely a fairly conservative group, yet are easily swayed by the Mozster)

I find ringtones in general somewhat obnoxious... hey, cellphones are kind of obnoxious. They are overused, occasionally, it seems to make people feel important, or as a substitute for real interaction with the people someone is around at the time. Maybe talking to real people is scary. Or maybe headsets induce a cool feeling, like you're in space.

I feel especially conflicted about political ringtones, and in particular about where this trend (if it becomes one) may lead. The potential these ringtones allow those who use them for meeting like-minded people is intriguing. Eric Gundersen, who made the ringtones posted below, said:

If a cell phone rings with Bush saying, "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job" on your morning bus/subway commute, you might get some smiles. And create a little bit of community in a random place by letting other concerned Americans know they are not alone or unpatriotic by being pissed at the government.

All of that seems to have some validity, and I think a pressure-release function is worthwhile too. It's better for people to be able to have a healthy, harmless release for their anger.

I can also imagine this Barbara Bush quote used as a ringtone, perhaps in a shortened format: "And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this -- this is working very well for them."

I haven't heard much defense of the administration's reaction to the hurricanes. This might be the sort of situation in which a protest ringtone wouldn't stir up much trouble. Not that "stirring up trouble" is necessarily a bad thing... but in the thick of wartime in particular, and even now, when many people still have very strong feelings about it, a flippant political message from a cellphone may be more divisive than it is uniting. Gundersen imagines an audience of bus or subway commuters, which is a captive audience. You take your audience members as you find them. One may be a peace activist, one may be a Quaker, another may be a Vietnam Veteran, another a kid whose father or mother died in the Iraq War a week ago. I'm not saying there should be no political messages. I believe in the First Amendment, and I find the protest ringtones an intriguing, potentially useful concept. I don't find Gundersen's ringtones inflammatory (though some might). I do see plenty of potential for inflammatory ringtones, though, and that's of more concern... and makes me feel especially conflicted. And there is a risk of divisiveness, even with a "worthwhile" message. All of the benefits, such as community-building, may be worth the risk of alienating some people who already were somewhat alienated from people with a certain point of view...

But what happens when people start using ringtones to broadcast messages of hate? Is this already happening? What hath you wrought, Crazy Frog?

MP3:Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job ringtone

MP3:Bush on pre-war intelligence ringtone

MP3:Rilo Kiley - It's a Hit (from More Adventurous)

MP3:Edwin Starr - War (from Billboard Top Rock & Roll Hits: 1970, etc.)

Pandora: The Music Genome Project

Via Slashdot, I recently found an intriguing Wall Street Journal article about the Music Genome Project.

A California company called Pandora Media Inc. tries to make "DNA-like blueprints for songs" and use them to recommend other songs you'd like, based on their science-like techniques. It probably comes as no surprise that they aren't just in this for the love of music, or the love of music-lovers like you and I. Their service costs $36 a year. According to their website, the first ten hours are free. Look out, kids. That's how it starts. They give it away for free at first, and get you hooked. Then suddenly $36 starts to seem reasonable. Just remember, that $36 could buy you Coldplay's X&Y, Jeff Lee Johnson's Hype Factory, and an Oxo Good Grips cheese spreader.

To be fair, the folks at Pandora do seem to put a fair amount of work into their analysis for your cheese money. Bob Coons, a jazz guitarist as well as a music analyst at Pandora, spends up to 20 minutes per song breaking down which instruments are present in the tune, its rhythm, key, the singer's vocal range, and other elements. The Wall Street Journal notes his tendency to drop phrases into his speech like "complexity of the chromaticism" and "richness of the harmonic structure" and says that he thinks the chord structure of "Oops I Did It Again" is "actually pretty complex". That observation leads me to wonder whether Britney Spears fans are likely to be recommended other songs with complex chord changes, and whether they will like them. It's possible there are loads of her fans willing to shell out $36 a year for music recommendations... she has a lot of fans.

Several days ago (not all at once), I spent some quality time with Pandora trying it out... My results, thoughts, notes, and assorted musings about it follow:

At Pandora, you can enter a group or a song to get started. Each time you do this, they will create a different "radio station" consisting of that song (or a song by that group -- if they could get the licensing rights to it), and various recommendations based on that group/song.

As you listen to the recommendations, there are a few ways in which you can respond to what you hear. You can ask why they chose that song, and Pandora will tell you what elements it has in common with "your" song. You can say you love the song, and tell Pandora to play more like it, or that you hate it and that it isn't the kind of song Pandora should play. If you choose the later, Pandora will apologize and say (on the screen) that it will never play on that station again. I wondered whether they mean on your station for that song, or for everyone who will later pick that song as well. Pandora will also immediately skip to the next song if you say you hate it.

On a separate menu, you can give a thumb's-up or thumb's-down to a song, and the symbol will appear next to its title. Giving a thumb's-down there won't skip past it. You can "search" past a song, but only a limited number of times before Pandora tells you their licensing agreement won't let you do it anymore. When I got to that point and I heard songs I disliked, I turned the volume down, and inevitably wound up not hearing the next song as well. I eventually figured out that using the bottom menu "hate" option (I think it said "hate" but I might be wrong) lets you forward past additional songs anyway (I think). The sort-of-overlapping menus are confusing, and not letting people forward past as many songs as they like will just get people upset, not get them to relax and listen to music they hate (Pandora urges you to do something along those lines, which is irritating. They likely know full well people will just mute the volume, or enter a new song and start over rather than listen to music they dislike).

Okay, on to the Pandora-experiment:

#1 I typed: "Arctic Monkeys"

Pandora: Did you want "Full of Monkeys" by the Frogs?

I clicked: No, search again.

#2 I typed: "Now It's On"

MP3:Grandaddy - Now It's On

Pandora gave me the following song recommendations on their streaming radio station:

No Wait Wait - "The Luckiest Bastard" (pretty good)

Enrique Iglesiasis - "The Way You Touch Me" (uh, no. Gave it a thumbs-down. Why did they choose this song? "Based on what you've told us so far, we're playing this track because it features a subtle use of vocal harmony, major key tonality, and many other similarities identified in the music genome project")

MP3:Wishing Wells - Ron Sexsmith (Good! Gave a thumbs-up to this tune, "written after a night of shockingly bad television..."

MP3:Stephen Malkmus - Mama (another quirky pop-rock song... I already like Malkmus, though I'm not sure about this one)

Consonant - "Blissful" (okay)

MP3:No Wait Wait - Beaches of the World

The Wrens - "Happy" (Why did they play it? "mild rhythmic syncopation, a subtle use of vocal harmony, major key tonality, mixed acoustic and electric instrumentation, and many other similarities identified in the music genome project")

Guided by Voices - ""Twilight Campfighter" (Why? "electric rock instrumentation, mild rhythmic syncopation, a subtle use of vocal harmony, major key tonality, and electric guitar riffs")

Mark Mulcahy - "I Just Shot Myself In the Foot Again"

Owsley - "I'm Alright"

I didn't take any notes on the last couple songs, but if I recall correctly, I didn't think very much of the Mark Mulcahy song (though I do like him), and I think I liked the Owsley song...

Asia - "Summer (Can't Last Too Long)" ("mild rhythmic syncopation, a subtle use of vocal harmony, major key tonality, a dynamic male vocalist, and subtle use of acoustic piano"

MP3:Fountains of Wayne - I Want An Alien for Christmas

I like Fountains of Wayne...

MP3:Jesus Jones - Real, Real, Real (nope)

Robert Plant - "I Believe" (don't remember it, I believe I wasn't paying attention)

#3 I typed: "Wuthering Heights"

Was given several options, and I chose this one:

MP3:Kate Bush - Wuthering Heights

Wait 'till you see these recommendations... it almost made me wish I had a webcam to capture my reactions. Okay, no it didn't, but I probably made a wide variety of interesting expressions.

Art Garfunkel - "Traveling Boy" (What, the...? No)

MP3:Jefferson Starship - Be Young You (No, thank you)

Up to this point, I patiently gave each song a chance, and just didn't feel either was "my thing".

Melissa Manchester - "Through the Eyes of Love" (Later recommended again under the name... "Ice Castles Theme Song (Through the Eyes of Love)" It's still "that ice-skating song" to me, no matter how they try to peddle it. I won't like it any more, no matter how many times it's recommended, Pandora!)

Jane Olivor - "The Greatest Love of All" (yes, that song. Why? "major key tonality, meandering melodic phrasing, a prominent rhythmic piano, and many other similarities". I find this song pretentious and incredibly annoying)

Vanessa Carlton - "Sway" (didn't love it, but I begin to have some hope that they're on the right track, at least picking something that doesn't inspire abject horror)

Led Zeppelin - The Rain Song (*warning* - 320 bitrate, so *huge*)

Why this song?

It was chosen because of "major key tonality, mixed acoustic and electric instrumentation, acoustic rhythmic guitars, and many other similarities". This sort o' tune isn't generally my cup of tea. It's good, and I like it well enough... but it's not something I'd go to listen to much.

Rod Stewart - "Have I Told You Lately" (I totally reject the notion that my appreciation for Kate Bush makes me more likely to like Rod Stewart or this song by Rod Stewart)

Elton John - "I Feel Like A Bullet (In the Gun of Robert Ford) (I file Elton John in this sort of category: "Talented, good... but not someone I find myself wanting to listen to.")

Celine Dion - "Have You Ever Been In Love"

Okay, that's it. Yes, I sure have. Have you ever been expected to listen to a Celine Dion song and pressed a mouse button at record-speed to avoid it? Is this proof there are still a few bugs in the system? No system that tries to predict musical taste can be flawless, not even one that tries to be "scientific". There really isn't anything wrong with liking both alternative icons and more "mainstream", "incredibly annoying" artists. (Sorry, couldn't help it). It could be considered a good, healthy sign that you're open to different kinds of music if you like vastly different kinds of artists; I think ecclectic tastes are a good thing. In theory, I like that this system doesn't worry about genre-crossing when recommending/playing songs. In reality, while there may be some Celine Dion fans who also like Kate Bush, how many people who already love "Wuthering Heights" have not already been over-exposed to Celine Dion's warbling? Hasn't... the world... had ample opportunity to discover whether they might enjoy her melismatic wailings? Is this the best use of this technology?

Jessica - "For Wowser" (Sounds like a teenage girl singing a bubble pop song... nothing like Kate Bush, really)

Jane Olivor - "The Right Garden" (Her again. Why play another song from an artist I've already given a "thumbs-down" to when there are songs remaining from artists whose work I haven't already heard and disliked?)

MP3:Cocteau Twins - Cico Buff (from Blue Bell Knoll)

Hey, a song I like! (although it's one from a group I already knew)

I decide to quit while slightly ahead.

Perhaps Kate Bush's "meandering vocal style" is one I only enjoy when sung by Kate Bush, but I doubt it. I like it when sung by Cocteau Twins, and others, as well. I think the problems possibly inherent in Pandora's attempts to think outside the genre box are evident here, or at least some sort of problems are evident here. Any Kate Bush fans want to defend these choices, say they love all or most of these songs?

#4 I typed: "Spectacular Views"

MP3:Rilo Kiley - Spectacular Views (from The Execution of All Things)

The Cuts - "Flip A Coin" (sounded promising, then it lost me)
Echobelly - "Lustra" (liked this! I already knew Echobelly, but had not heard this song before. Wish I had it to post)

MP3:Secret Machines - The Road Leads Where It's Led (from The Road Leads Where It's Led EP and Now Here Is Nowhere). Like this a lot -- have posted it before; it was on an NME disc. I start to feel the system may work better for rock/alt. rock songs)

Veruca Salt - "The Morning Sad" (pretty good, don't love it though)
Jennifer Trynin - "Snow" (okay)
Cowboy - "Kneebending" (I really like this)
Thea Gilmore - "Heart String Blues" (doesn't work for me. A country song -- entirely unlike the Rilo Kiley track -- which would be fine, only I just don't like her voice. I admit that after the Kate Bush catastrophe I have grown impatient and give the song a very short amount of time before forwarding to the next track)

Antigone Rising - "Last Try" (Nope, but I don't remember why, and didn't make a note of the reason)
The Kickovers - "Under You" (play on "You're over me, I'm still under you"... something like that... cute)

MP3:Copeland - Pin Your Wings

I liked this...

Letters to Cleo - "Demon Rock" (hey, good old Letters to Cleo. Don't remember hearing this one before, just found it okay)
The Cinch - "Get Up & Get Out" (have a vague recollection of eventually deciding I didn't like this but I'm not sure about that)
The Soviettes - "Get Up & Get Out" (did not hear, had turned down the volume from The Cinch song, I think)
Samiam - "Mud Hill" (did not hear, forgot about the volume being off)
The Stereo - "String You Along" (got annoying, turned the volume down)
Portastatic - "Autumn Got Dark" (did not hear it)
The Used - "The Taste of Ink" (didn't that guy like totally date that one girl who was on that MTV show playing Ozzy's daughter and stuff? Had the volume down, half forgot about Pandora as I multi-tasked. Vaguely remember this song...)
Billy Bragg - "Accident Waiting to Happen (Red Star Version)" (Yay, Billy Bragg!)
20/20 - "Nuclear Boy" (didn't like this)
Last Days of April - "Been Here All the Time" (didn't hear it)

MP3:Bruce Hornsby - See the Same Way (It's fine for what it is, which is not my kind of song)

The Bartlebees & Anj - "Ne Me Quitte Pas" (I like a lot of French-language tunes. But not this one)

Giant Drag - "Pretty Little Neighbor" (I liked this one)

MP3:Elastica - Line Up ("a vocal-centric aesthetic" is one of the reasons they played it. I liked some Elastica songs back in the day, but find as I listen to this that it's annoying me. I dutifully give it a thumbs-down)

The Academy Is... - "Classifieds" (kinda like this, though it strikes me as not remotely Rilo-like. It's more lightweight. I know one of the goals is to cross genres, and all that... but I would have liked to hear more Rilo-like music).

Kay Hanley - "This Dreadful Life" (forgot to write what I thought... I think "okay". I also realize I became increasingly willing to give dismissive opinions freely, even when I wasn't sure how well I remembered a song... rather than leaving it at saying I didn't remember what I thought. I'm usually a bit kinder than that... I think! I guess this comes naturally after hearing so many songs in such a short time span. It also became increasingly acceptable to forward past them, and not only give them a thumb's down but say they weren't even right for the station -- something Pandora encourages by making this the only way to let you forward past a song after you reach your fast-forward limit. If I feel this almost jaded about some of the songs, I wonder how the music analysts feel... how routine it must be for them to dissect, and perhaps on some level feel dismissive of these songs?)

Solid Pleasure - "Numbers" (liked this)
Selfish - Toto - "Selfish" (no, thanks)
Limblifter - "Drug Induced" (good)

MP3:Teenage Fanclub - What You Do to Me (yay, Teenage Fanclub is like a balm for the soul. Yet I must admit while I note happily that they played Teenage Fanclub, I don't actually take in the music or really enjoy it... I'm waiting for the next song... Pandora's station view, showing you what has already played, and always keeping what's to come teasingly just out of view, is just one more way of encouraging the "what's next" mentality, although mine was likely impacted because I wasn't listening strictly for pleasure)

Helium _ "Pat's Trick" (I like some Helium songs, but not this one)
Shonen Knife - "Making Plans for Bison" (I like Shonen's Knife; this one isn't great)
Superchunk - "Silver Leaf and Snowy Tears" (okay)
The Go-Gos - "Superslide" (Don't remember, didn't take any notes; sorry, Go-Gos!)

So I forwarded through plenty of songs, muted songs, entered a new song when I finally got a good song recommendation after loads of bad ones, and got frustrated with repeat songs from artists I had already given a thumb's down to... I also found some new-to-me artists and songs I really liked. This isn't worth $36/year to me, though it was a fun experiment. I have lots of free time left, and I will probably go back and play around with Pandora some more. I think the Grandaddy song was a good choice for the experiment -- quirky, a bit offbeat... I would have liked to see some more unusual recommendations. I know it isn't that out-there a song, but it is different enough that asking someone to stretch a bit wouldn't have been too wacky. The Rilo Kiley song may not have been dissimilar enough from the Grandaddy song to see what Pandora could really do... I think in both cases, Pandora did a decent job, not a great job. I can think of a few friends and a lot of music bloggers who, given the title of either song, could probably recommend a couple dozen songs I would be much more likely to adore and not just say I "like" or are "okay".

As for Pandora's recommendations for "Wuthering Heights"... no. Just no, no, no. Analyze the meandering melodic phrasing and major key tonality of Kate Bush's song as much as you like, but if you think those are scientific qualities, then I think mayhaps art must play a strong role in this as well. Sorry, guys. Back to the lab?

Virgin Megastore Opening/Virgin Recommends 17 CD

I popped down to the grand opening of the Virgin Megastore Hollywood & Highland yesterday. The grand opening party was not all that Richard Branson hoped it would be, or that was advertised, as the rains forced the cancellation of concerts by the reformed INXS, Dredg, and Gang of Four. I arrived a bit after Branson's bizarre-sounding performance as Axl Rose, and found a rather disorganized scene. No one seemed to know what was going on... I looked at a book; J.D. Fortune looked at a book a few feet away. He declared, "I'm taking this book. I take what I want now, eh?" and walked off (he's Canadian, you know). That didn't actually happen, but it would have made this a better story.

The scene was fairly confused... I went to go gawk at the "meet and greets", but it was just a line, which wasn't very interesting (no offense to anyone in line). Both the INXS and Dredg fans did seem charming, from my limited interactions with them (especially the Dredg fans). Then again, the fans I chatted with opted not to stay. The ones who did might be jerks; I just can't say one way or the other.

I watched Richard Branson tape one interview after another, sitting on weird clear orange plastic chairs. In between interviews, onlookers pressed various demands at him... someone handed him a script and told him it was written with him in mind. "Please read it," he said. Branson looked distinctly uncomfortable, and nodded. He handed it to an assistant. A fawning woman asked to speak to him "after," and he agreed to that. It seemed neverending. Branson was polite, but how could it not get to him, so many strangers wanting a piece of him? One of the interviewers had an almost joker-like grin, and displayed an impressive level of phoniness. It may be an entertainment interview, but it's still an interview, and she was still ostensibly a journalist. She bothered me.

During one interview, Branson noted that due to the number of people downloading music now, "unless the music store reinvents itself, it's gonna die." He said he thinks Virgin can still be around in 50 years. Another interviewer asked about reality shows, which I thought was an odd question, due to the resounding failure of his own program (though it really wasn't so bad at all; I rather liked it). By the time of his press conference with Gang of Four a short time later, Branson looked tired. He still was giving thumbs' up and grinning widely for the photographers egging him on, but he looked just about wiped out.

As for the music store reinventing itself, this Virgin Megastore is selling far more than music. The music isn't an afterthought... yet... but they're getting there. There are a lot of books (topics including music, humour, sex, astrology, L.A., and assorted weirdness), t-shirts, incense, novelty items (Napoleon Dynamite stuff, that kind of thing), DVDs (including "adult" ones), and lots more. Their magazine selection, it must be said, sucks. Are there that many people clamoring for British Maxim? Not only that, but they have chosen to intersperse the few magazines seemingly randomly throughout the store, a bizarre decision. Maybe they are working on this; the store has only been open 5 days (Yes, the grand opening was held 5 days after the store opened, weird, I know).

One weird moment when I was accosted by a psychic... "LADY!" "Yes?" "Freepsychicreading!!" I don't know whether this was supposed to be part of the "party" or whether she was a random psychic. I declined her shouted offer.

Saturday, Oct. 22, from noon to 2 PM at the Virgin Megastore at Hollywood & Highland, Ashlee Simpson will sign I Am Me. And she sure is!

This promo CD was supposed to be free with purchase but they just gave me one for being fetching/existing. Possibly they gave everyone for free; it probably would look good for all the TV cameras to have everyone walking around looking like they bought something.

It was free, and it's a promo CD, so I uploaded most of it...

Virgin Recommends 17 CD Track Listing:

1. MP3:The Dead 60s - Riot Radio
2. British Sea Power - Please Stand Up
3. MP3:Dredg - Bug Eyes
4. MP3:Lizz Wright - Hit the Ground
5. MP3:Leela James - My Joy
6. MP3:Embrace - Ashes
7. MP3:Athlete - Half Light
8. Raheem Devaughn - Believe
9. MP3:M.I.A. - Galang
10. MP3:Esthero - Wikkid Little Grrrls
11. MP3:Amadou & Mariam - Senegal Fast Food
12. MP3:Nickel Creek - When in Rome
13. 22-20s - Devil in Me
14. MP3:The Warlocks - It's Just Like Surgery
15. MP3:Feist - Mushabloom
16. MP3:Nouvelle Vague - Just Can't Get Enough

(yes, there are really 16 tracks even though it says Virgin 17. There's a car advert if you play it in the computer; maybe that counts as the 17th track).

50 Greatest US Punk Tracks

The November Mojo lists the 50 greatest U.S. punk tracks in celebtration of 50 years of "filth and fury from the home of the brave, from papa-oom-mow-mow to hey-ho-let's-go and beyond." 50 years? How do they figure there has been 50 years of punk? Why, by including "prehistoric punks" in on the fun! Hey, any excuse for a list, right?

1955-1967 - Prehistoric Punks:

The Phantom - Love Me
Gene Maltais - The Raging Sea
Link Wray - Jack the Ripper
The Trashmen - Surfin' Bird
The Kingsmen - Louie Louie
MP3:Hasil Adkins - She Said (from Chicken Walk)
The Sonics - Psycho
Randy Alvey and the Green Fuz - Freen Fez
The Count Five - Psychotic Reaction
MP3:The 13th Floor Elevators - You're Gonna Miss Me (from The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators)
Love - 7 and 7 Is
The Velvet Underground - Sister Ray

Further Listening:

Outcasts - 1523 Blair
Swamp Rats - Louie Louie
? and the Mysterians - 96 Tears
The Music Machine - Talk Talk
Sons of Adam - Baby Show the World
The Standells - Dirty Water
Nobody's Children - Good Times
Zakary Thaks - Bad Girl
The Other Half - Mr. Pharmacist
Rocky & Riddlers - Flash & Crash
Bobby Fuller Four - I Fought the Law
The Monks - I Hate You
The Seeds - Pushin' Too Hard

1968-1978 - Down on the Street

The Stooges - 1969
MP3:MC5 - Kick Out the Jams (from Kick Out the Jams)
New York Dolls - Personality Crisis
The Dictators - The Next Big Thing
Television - Little Johnny Jewel
The Electric Eels - Agitated
MP3:Patti Smith - Gloria (from Horses)
MP3:The Ramones - Blitzkrieg Bop (from Loud, Fast Ramones: Their Toughest Hits, etc.)
Germs - Forming
MP3:The Misfits - Attitude (from Collection 2)
Devo - (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
The Dead Boys - Sonic Reducer

Further Listening:

Flamin' Groovies - Teenage Head
Jonathan Richman - Road Runner
Rocket From the Tombs - Ain't It Fun
Johnny Thunders & the Heartbreakers - Chinese Rocks
X - We're Desperate
The Eyes - Don't Talk to Me
The Weirdos - Destroy All Music
Pere Ubo - 30 Seconds Over Tokyo
Jayne Country - If You Don't Want to Fuck Me Fuck Off
The Zeros - Wild Weekend
Dils - I Hate the Rich
Suicide - Ghost Rider
Crime - Hot Wire My Heart

1978-1983 - Going Underground

Black Flag - Nervous Breakdown
Dead Kennedys - California Uber Allies
The Dickies - Banana Splits (Tra La La) (Argh, the Dickies are cool. I've seen them in concert. I have this somewhere, but where?)
Bad Brains - Pay to Cum
MP3:Adolescents - Amoeba (from Adolescents)
The Cramps - Garbage Man
The Gun Club - She's Like Heroin to Me
Flipper - Sex Bomb
Descendents - I'm Not a Loser
Fear - Let's Have a War
Husker Du - Everything Falls Apart
MP3:Minor Threat - I Don't Wanna Hear It (from Complete Discography)

Further Listening:

The Plugz - La Bamba
Skulls Building Models
Dicks - Hate the Police
Geza X - Mean Mr. Mommy Man
Rik L Rick with Negative Trend - Mercenaries
TSOL - Abolish Government
Black Randy & the Metro Squad - I Slept in an Arcade
Circle Jerks - Group Sex
Big Boys - TV
Social Distortion - Another State of Mind
Suicidal Tendencies - Institutionalized

1984-2005 - Every Loser Wins

Agnostic Front - Your Mistake
Minutemen - Political Song for Michael Jackson to Sing
Sonic Youth - Death Valley - '69
Lemonheads - Second Chance
Bad Religion - You Are (the Government)
Nirvana - Sliver
NOFX - Don't Call Me White
Green Day - Basket Case
MP3:The Offspring - Come Out and Play (from Smash and Greatest Hits)
MP3:At the Drive-In - One-Armed Scissor (from Relationship of Command)
The White Stripes - Fell in Love With a Girl
The Blood Brothers - Cecilia & the Silhouette Saloon
Mudhoney - Touch Me I'm Sick

Further Listening:

Big Black - Kerosene
Butthole Surfers - Lady Sniff
Pussy Galore - Pretty Fuck Look
Scratch Acid - Mary Had a Little Drug Problem
Youth of Today - No More
Fugazi - Margin Walker
The Jesus Lizard - Gladiator
Bikini Kill - Rebel Girl
Rancid - Timebomb
The Bronx - White Tar
Hot Snakes - Brain Trust
Sleater-Kinney - Entertain