The Pipettes Have Opinions

With Mogwai acting almost meek and mild lately, it leaves a void in the trash-talking-bands department.

Enter The Pipettes, brash , bold, and ready to criticize loads of people and bands! They're not fond of the Kooks, Razorlight, Pete Doherty, or Dirty Pretty Things, for starters. Dirty Pretty Things were branded "the worst band in the world" by the Pipettes' RiotBecki during a radio interview, while the Kooks were criticized for treating a concert in the Pipettes' hometown of Brighton as if it was the Kooks' hometown too.

They feel Arctic Monkeys and Hard-Fi's lyrics are "quite chauvinistic." Also, they find Arctic Monkeys "completely over-stylized." They're not taken by Kate Moss or Peaches, either, but they do "respect Debbie Harry."

As for the Beatles... the group's RiotBecki says, "Pop music was so vast until they appeared, then all music seemed to need boys with guitars!"

The Pipettes - Dirty Mind (available on We Are The Pipettes)

The Kooks - Seaside (available on Inside In/Inside Out)

Denmark Happiest Country; U.S. Pretty Happy Too

An environmental group recently declared Vanuautu the happiest place and the U.S. the 150th. In producing the Happy Planet Index, researchers noted the lack of connection between a country's Gross Domestic Product and the happiness of their citizens, and suggested nations try to make their citizens more fulfilled in other ways.

Ha! Nice try, hippies. It was fiendishly clever to wrap your pro-planet ideas with a lot of impressive jargon and a color-coded map to make your conclusions seem scientifically sound. Much like a professional clear plastic binder, one should almost always get credit for a map or chart.

Fortunately for Americans, there's a new kid in town, at least as clever as the environmentalists, with conclusions that will make us feel better about our country.

The new survey is by Adrian White, an analytic social psychologist and University of Leicester student conducting research toward a Ph.D in, yes, analytic social psychology. He's no doubt clever and unafraid to boldly claim to have produced "the first ever 'world map of happiness.'" (He likely finished his first, and The Happy Planet people just published theirs before his was released unto the world via press release.)

White studied data from UNESCO, the CIA, the New Economics Foundation, the WHO, the Veenhoven Database, the Latinbarometer, the Afrobarometer, and the UNHDR. He found the three factors that most predicted happiness were "good healthcare, a higher GDP per captia, and access to education". GDP is right in the middle, snuggled in close to the others -- and indeed, White says the three were "very closely associated with each other, illustrating the interdependence of these factors."

He also found that "many of the largest countries in terms of population do quite badly." Among them: Russia (167th), India (125th), Japan (90th), and China (82nd).

Burundi came in last place in the survey. Those living in Zimbabwe and Democratic Republic of the Congo are only slightly happier, respectively.

Perhaps it was positive spin, but with respect to the UK's ranking of 41st, White tells us, "It is worth remembering that the UK is doing relatively well in this area, coming 41st out of 178 nations."

The Sunday Times felt it was not worth remembering, or they just forgot:

Is everybody happy? Well, the Danes are. Denmark, according to a new study from Leicester University based on surveys of more than 80,000 people worldwide, is the happiest nation on earth.

The British are not. We rank 41st, well behind Ireland (11th), America (23rd) and even Germany (35th).

They dig out the Viking stereotype for a headline about "the Viking guide to happiness", but also speak with an actual Dane, Peter Christgau. He says, "Danes have a good work-life balance... everyone is very casual and very much down to earth. Even if you're really successful you drive a small Mini."

The Twenty Happiest Countries: (Until The Next Survey Comes Along)

1. Denmark
2. Switzerland
3. Austria
4. Iceland
5. The Bahamas
6. Finland
7. Sweden
8. Bhutan
9. Brunei
10. Canada
11. Ireland
12. Luxembourg
13. Costa Rica
14. Malta
15. The Netherlands
16. Antigua and Barbuda
17. Malaysia
18. New Zealand
19. Norway
20. The Seychelles

The Ocean Blue - Denmark (available on Davy Jones' Locker)

The Chemical Brothers - Denmark (available on Come With Us)

The Dears Delay Album... Only For The U.S.

Gang Of Losers, the third full-length album by intense alt-pop-rockers The Dears has been pushed back from its reported August 29 U.S. release to Oct 3. The album was recorded in single takes at the Montreal home of lead singer Murray Lightburn and produced by each and every Dear. In his studio diary, Lightburn calls the album "by far the most honest, earnest, straight ahead thing we've ever done." He also expects a backlash. He writes, "I'm sure there will be some criticism from older Dears 'fans' regarding this record when they hear it. All the typical shit. As much as I would hate to alienate them forever I can't really care about that." He also really dislikes the group's music being called Britpop, possibly because it's not made by Brits.

Those in the U.K. can buy the non-Britpop-containing Gang Of Losers on Aug. 28, and it's available August 29th in the land of maple syrup, caring about hockey, and intense alt-pop-rockers who delay their music only for Americans.

The first video from the forthcoming record has been released. It's for "Ticket To Immortality" and has been okayed for viewing by the general population, regardless of nationality.

Gang Of Losers Tracklisting:

1. Sinthintro
2. Ticket To Immortality
3. Death Or Life We Want You
4. Hate Then Love
5. There Goes My Outfit
6. Bandwagoneers
7. Fear Made The World Go Round
8. You And I Are A Gang Of Losers
9. Whites Only Party
10. Ballad Of Humankindness
11. I Fell Deep
12. Find Our Way To Freedom

The Dears are playing at several festivals in Europe next month, including both August 19th and 20th at V Festival. They're also playing at a London club called KoKo on October 26. The show isn't listed on KoKo's website but tickets are available through Ticketmaster.

It has a terrible name but Dublin's Budrising Summer on August 22nd may be the best festival of the summer -- "Budrising Summer presents Morrissey, The Magic Numbers, The Dandy Warhols and The Dears". And look:



It's in Dublin, Morrissey will be there, and they'll have ice cream! That will probably even include some flavors made without the "great" taste of Bud™ beer. Sure, the Dandy Warhols will be there, but maybe, just maybe they won't play their awful new single "Have A Kick Ass Summer (Me And My Friends)". I wonder if the song wasn't released in late spring or early summer (which would have been more logical timing) because some savvy people connected to the band were dragging their feet, unsure about the quality of the song. I wish the Dandy Warhols would go back to making songs as good as those on Welcome To The Monkey House.

The Dandy Warhols - Plan A (available on Welcome To The Monkey House)

Maybe they should spend a lot of time listening to the Dears' music and watching videos like this one for "22: The Death Of All The Romance" to get inspired again:



The Dears - Lost In The Plot (available on No Cities Left. An amazing song - grand, sweeping, dramatic, bittersweet)

Radiohead Declares 'OK Computer' A Classic

Radiohead has declared its 1997 album OK Computer a classic, which should prove helpful to today's music fans and critics, as well as future generations of rock historians, now saved the confusion of reconciling the "OK" in the title and the critical acclaim for the record.

The band's helpful move comes in the form of the title for their forthcoming DVD, Radiohead: OK Computer-A Classic Album Under Review. The DVD, which will be released in the U.S. on September 19th, includes live and in-studio performances of every track on the classic album, commentary from music writers and a former Mojo editor, and bonus features including "The Hardest Interactive Radiohead Quiz In The World Ever" which asks for proof that 2 + 2 = 5.

Radiohead does much more than make classic albums, tour, and subject their fans to baffling math problems. A glimpse into their interests is available via their website's links page. Many links are related to politics, corporate accountability, and environmental protection. There's also a couple of nifty sites that might prove good for stress relief for anyone actually taking on that math problem, The Daily Nice, which shows a different nice photo every day, and The Keyboard Museum. It has interactive drum machines and much more.

Radiohead Concert/Festival Dates:

August 12th - Mozaik utca, Budapest, Hungary - Sziget Festival

August 17th - Belgium - Pukkelpop (main stage, 0:45 - 2:00)

August 19th - Hylands Park, Chelmsford - V festival

August 20th - Weston Park, Staffordshire - V festival

August 22nd - Edinburgh - Meadowbank Stadium (sold out)

August 24th - Dublin - Marley Park ("with special guest Beck", according to Ticketmaster. They also advise that those under 16 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian)

Radiohead - Lucky (available on the classic OK Computer)

Radiohead - 2 + 2 = 5 (available on Hail To The Thief)

High Fidelity: The Broadway Musical

According to Playbill, Nick Hornby's novel-turned-movie High Fidelity has been adapted into a musical. The singin' and dancin' version of Hornby's 1995 novel will debut at Boston's Columbia Sept. 26 and run through Oct. 22. Broadway previews are expected in late fall. Will Chase and Jenn Colella have been cast in the lead roles. With a new incarnation for Hornby's story of a list-making record shop owner with relationship "issues" comes another new setting. The book took place in London, the movie Chicago, and the musical is set in Brooklyn.

Tickets are available through Broadway Across America.

Paste August 2006 Magazine/CD

Thom Yorke's on the cover of the new, August issue of Paste, and surprise, he's not smiling! The cover copy promises he'll discuss "tock 'n' roll parenthood, political blackmail, and his new solo debut, the eraser." (the lowercase is a style thing, see?). Michel Gondry is also pictured; he's interviewed about his buzzed-about movie the Science of Sleep about, to oversimplify it, trying to make dreams become reality.

John Roderick of The Long Winters discusses the group's new album, Putting The Days To Bed with Paste. He calls it "definitely angrier than the first two-and the musical expression has to compensate for that by sounding fun."

There's also an interview with Paul Simon, who was apparently well-known, particularly during the 1960s, as a member of a "folk-singing duo" called Simon and Garfunkel. He's still singing too. He's also making a couple good points about Neil Young's anti-George Bush song "Living With War". He feels it serves a purpose, as people have a need to express such feelings. However, those "who want to see Bush impeached really don't need that song". He is impressed with how Bob Dylan has been able to "frequently invent himself, at a very sophisticated level". Simon recently wrote that most babyboomer artists take a commercial hit if they do something inventive. Good point, or clever spin control in case his album tanks? You be the judge.

Also featured in the magazine in convenient, short-attention-span format: Be Your Own PET, Golden Smog, The Apples In Stereo, Greg Dulli, Ane Brun, Beirut (a fellow named Zach Condon has chosen to perform as "Beirut"), Persephone's Bees (following the advert-and-soundtrack path to stardom), author Augusten Burroughs, The Daily Show's Rob Corddry (who leaves the program in a few months to start shooting a sitcom for... Fox. Yeah, that's a good idea.)


Paste August CD Track Listing:

1. Sam Roberts - The Gate (radio edit)
2. The Long Winters - Fire Island, AK (available on Putting The Days To Bed, which was released yesterday. Incredibly enraged yet so much dang fun)
3. The Bees (U.S.) - Imaginary Girl
4. Edie Brickell & The New Bohemians - One Last Time (available on Stranger Things, which was released yesterday. I was on the fence with this at first, before deciding it was nice... still not quite sure about it)
5. Midlake - Roscoe (edit)
6. Greg Laswell - Sing, Theresa Says
7. Colour Revolt - A New Family
8. Tim Easton - Next To You (edit)
9. Ane Brun - Song No. 6 (featuring Ron Sexsmith)
10. King Straggler - Good Man
11. David Ford - I Don't Care What You Call Me (radio edit) (What's with all the edited versions of songs on this compilation? The album version of this song has appeared on at least one magazine compilation before, but perhaps the U.K. market is being treated differently. That would be silly. Those magazines are sold abroad and it's an international music community! An international music community of fun. No, love. No, fun and love. Can you come back to me?)
12. Roman Candle - Something Left To Say
13. La Rocca - Sketches (20 Something Life)
14. Lotus - When H Binds To O (available on The Strength Of Weak Ties Elegant electronic/jazz tune)
15. The Ditty Bops - Angel With An Attitude (available on Moon Over The Freeway Retro, fun, and not in that "fun, incredibly pissed-off way" like that Long Winters song)
16. Frank Black - If Your Poison Gets You (available on Fast Man Raider Man. Jazzy, pretty catchy, not cheery)
17. Bruce Cockburn - Different When It Comes To You
18. Jonah Smith - My Morning Scene
19. The Muckrackers - Slip Away (Live)
20. The Drams - Unhinged
21. Syd Matters - Obstacles (available on Syd Matters. Beautiful! Twangy synth, background vocals toward the beginning that bring to mind a Sufjan Stevens song. There's a similar romantic feel here. If you hate "sweet", though... stay away)

Aqualung to Play Lollapalooza, Tour With Fray

Alt-pop act (and, in the interests of fair disclosure, Kofi's-hat-naming) Aqualung took some time out from working on a new album with a few U.S. appearances this month. In August: a set at Chicago's Lollapalooza on the 4th from 1-2:30 PM at the adidas-Champs stage. At the same time, Cursive will metaphorically take the Q101 stage. Festivals are cruel.

In October, Aqualung goes on tour, supporting The Fray. All dates are either on sale or super-secret pre-sale. Hopefully no dates have sold out during a double-secret pre-pre-sale.

Ben Hales is co-producing the forthcoming, third album, and has been blogging about the process, as well as how it's changed since the first album, how the record industry has changed through the years, and the different agendas record labels and artists sometimes have ("Happily, Matt has never been interested in making music that is hard to understand, so both parties have the same objective (for now at least).")
Video of Matt Hales recording guide vocals is online, with more videos to come.

Aqualung's October Tour Dates (supporting The Fray):

5th - Minneapolis, MN (Northrup Auditorium)
6th - Madison, WI (Orpheum Theatre)
7th - Milwaukee, WI (Eagles Ballroom)
9th - Omaha, NE (Sokol Auditorium)
10th - Kansas City, MO (Uptown Theatre)
11th - St Louis, MO (The Pageant)
12th - Nashville, TN (Ryman Auditorium)
13th - Indianapolis, IN (Murat Theatre)

Aqualung - If I Fall (available on Strange And Beautiful)

The Fray - Look After You (available on How To Save A Life)

Concretes' Foundation Shaken As Singer Leaves

The Concretes have announced, via, the self-described "terse text" of a press release, the departure of lead singer Victoria Bergsman. "These are bitter times indeed," write the remaining band members. "We do not really know how to tell you."

According to the Concretes, Bergsman left "to pursue a solo career". Her former bandmates performed without her at the Summercase Festival and are working on songs for their third album. They wish Bergsman "the best of luck", which is hopefully different than what Fox News means when they wish someone well.

The Concretes - Tomorrow (available on In Colour)

New Yorkers Rally For Right To Dance

"Dancing is not a crime", chanted about 100 people at a rally yesterday at Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg's townhouse. The gathering was organized to protest Bloomberg's continuing enforcement of a 1926 cabaret license law. Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani resurrected the prohibition-era law, once aimed especially at jazz clubs, and by the '60s only used against gay bars.

According to Giuliani, banning dancing at businesses without cabaret licenses was an issue of quality of life and the protection of neighborhoods. It may have made sense to some as a justification for shutting down strip clubs, but doesn't it start to make less sense as it extends to rave clubs, bars, restaurants, and nightclubs where "subdued Wilco fans" are just there to see a show.

The licenses are very expensive, and may be denied for any number of reasons. That's not surprising since they're being used as a means of controlling land use. Some businesses may be shut down by police until they can get a license, a process that takes months. There are now only 244 NYC establishments where people can legally dance.

After one unsuccessful challenge of the cabaret law, and with an appeal underway, other efforts are focussing on City Hall. The argument there is: if the rationale for enforcing the law is noise, why not keep noise laws without being so restrictive about dancing? And if noise is the rationale, why isn't noise required to violate the cabaret law?

It's quite odd. A waltz, a cha-cha, a kid bopping around while eating lunch with their friends, a couple's first dance after they get married... all are treated the same under the old law, and a second violation is enough to shut a place down.

Well, Mayor Bloomberg, if there's anything the hit motion picture Footloose taught us, it's that you can't stop the kids from dancing. Footloose was based on real events that occurred in Elsnore City Oaklahoma, namely a minister's efforts to use an old law, still on the books, to ban the prom. He felt dancing was "a tool of the devil". There was an uproar, and the school board approved the students' request for a prom.

Sure, you can "ban" dancing. Or place draconian restrictions on it. But kids of all ages won't stand for it. You and your Bacon number of infinity might as well give up now.

Three years ago, Bloomberg danced the merengue in the Dominican Republic. Maybe rather than figure out where they're allowed to dance, he'd like more New Yorkers to follow his lead and take their burning desire to dance and their American money abroad.

LEGALIZE DANCING NYC is an umbrella group working to repeal the anti-dancing law. They have a newsgroup, an online petition, and links to email Mayor Bloomberg and members of the City Council.

Kenny Loggins - Footloose (available on the Footloose soundtrack, etc.)

Footloose Clip:



Elvis Costello - No Dancing (available on My Aim Is True)

Nouvelle Vague - Dancing With Myself (available on Bande A Part)

Morrissey Dedicates Song To Syd Barrett

Morrissey honored the late Syd Barrett in Spain tonight during his set at the Festival Internacional de Benicàssim by dedicating a song to him.

Moz chose "I'll Never Be Anybody's Hero Now" for Barrett.

Walk right through me
I am a ghost
And as far as I know I haven't even died
And my love is under the ground
My one true love is under the ground

The songs that preceded it are also interesting; all could easily also refer to Barrett. Morrissey began his set with "Panic". The complaint about music played on the radio reminded me of the lackluster reception for Barrett's solo albums, which eventually became critically acclaimed and gained a cult following.

"Panic" was followed by "Irish Blood, English Heart" ("There is no one on earth I'm afraid of/And I will die with both of my hands untied", and in death Barrett arguably found freedom from failing health and from his own reluctance to leave his home. Some might say he'd found freedom by managing to live on his own since his mother died, despite being in poor health.

Next came "The Youngest Was The Most Loved" ("There is no such thing in life as normal" and references to seclusion, which both fit given Barrett's history; the part about killing does not), and "You Have Killed Me" makes sense as a rather dramatic expression of mourning. The duo leading right into "I'll Never Be Anybody's Hero Now" were "Still Ill" ("Does the body rule the mind/Or does the mind rule the body?/I don't know...") and "First Of The Gang To Die" ("he stole all hearts away").

Although... Moz tends to write a lot of angst-ridden songs about love and death. Perhaps any of them could be analyzed this way. Still, the Barrett dedication was likely factored into the setlist to some extent.

Morrissey sang a total of four Smiths songs. Along with the aforementioned "Panic" and "Still Ill", his set included "Girlfriend In A Coma" and "How Soon Is Now?".

He closed with "Life Is A Pigsty".

Morrissey's Setlist

Panic
Irish Blood, English Heart
The Youngest Was The Most Loved
You Have Killed Me
Still Ill
First Of The Gang To Die
I'll Never Be Anybody's Hero Now
Girlfriend In A Coma
Let Me Kiss You
Ganglord
I Will See You In Far Off Places
To Me You Are A Work Of Art
I Just Want To See The Boy Happy
How Soon Is Now?
Trouble Loves Me
At Last I Am Born
Life Is A Pigsty

Morrissey - I'll Never Be Anybody's Hero Now (available on Ringleader Of The Tormentors)

Morrissey - Irish Blood, English Heart (available on You Are The Quarry)

Syd Barrett - Golden Hair (available on The Madcap Laughs)

Better British Albums?

The Times has its own ideas about which albums should have gotten Mercury nods, and it's an eclectic list, ranging from the bubbly pop of Girls Aloud to Elbow's somewhat more cerebral albums, Leaders of the Free World. Other suggestions include albums by critics' darling Corinne Bailey Rae, The Automatic, and The Feeling.

Elbow - The Everthere (available on Leaders of the Free World)

Corinne Bailey Rae - Like A Star (available on Corinne Bailey Rae I think she's talented and some of the songs are good, but others sound unfinished)

Girls Aloud - It's Magic (available on Chemistry. It sure is!)

The Feeling - Anyone (available on 12 Stops And Home. Cool song)

The Automatic - Recover (available on Not Accepted Anywhere. Pretty good. I'm disappointed not to like "That's What She Said" and "Seriously... I Hate You Guys" because I like the titles so much)

Mercury Odds Shift

The Mercury odds have already changed, logically enough, in reaction to early bets. Most of the bets placed with William Hill so far have been for Arctic Monkeys and Richard Hawley, so he's cut their odds, leaving Arctic Monkeys 11/4 favorites and Richard Hawley with the next-best odds of 3/1. A spokesperson notes that the Mercury judges are unpredictible, so "good value" may be found with other bets. The "keep betting" advice might be slightly biased, coming from a bookmaker's spokesperson, but it's true that it's hard to guess who will win.

Still... Zoe Rahman and Lou Rhodes are presently 16/1 longshots at William Hill, and a win by either would be surprising. While your mileage may vary somewhat with other bookmakers, their odds are consistently slim.

Mercury Odds:

Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not 11/4

Richard Hawley - Coles Corner 3/1

Richard Hawley - Hotel Room (available on Coles Corner)

Guillemots - Through The Windowpane 9/2

Thom Yorke - The Eraser 7/1

Editors - The Back Room 9/1

Sway - This Is My Demo 10/1

Hot Chip - The Warning 10/1

Muse - Black Holes And Revelations 10/1

Muse - Starlight (available on Black Holes And Revelations)

Scritti Politti - White Bread Black Beer 12/1

Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan - Ballad Of The Broken Seas 14/1

Zoe Rahman - Melting Pot 16/1

Lou Rhodes - Beloved One 16/1

Rough Trade Anniversary Compilation On the Way

On September 25th, at least in the U.K., Rough Trade Records will release The Record Shop - 30 Years Of Rough Trade Shops, essentially a pair of mix CDs made by group effort. The group in this case consists of 30 Rough Trade customers, each of whom were asked to pick a song for the compilation, and write part of the sleevenotes. Jarvis Cocker, Björk, Daniel Miller, and Thurston Moore are among those representin' musicians. Others participating in the project include Seymour Stein (who chose The Rezillos' "I Can't Stand My Baby"), cricket correspondent Derek Pringle and Richard Russell, presumably not the 18th Century English doctor. He chose Björk's "Where's The Line", which I find grating. Everyone should already have "Here Comes Your Man" by the Pixies, so it's also a questionable pick, though it is a classic. The absence of The Smiths and Belle and Sebastian seems a bit weird, but the compilation still looks very cool.

The Record Shop - 30 Years Of Rough Trade Shops Track Listing:

Disc One:

The Modern Lovers - Pablo Picasso (chosen by Paul Smith, the fashion designer. It's an excellent choice)
Swell Maps - Read About Seymour
Kleenex - Hedi's Head
The Rezillos - I Can't Stand My Baby
Adam And The Ants - Zerox
Holger Czukay - Persian Love
The Mekons - Kill
The Soft Boys - I Wanna Destroy You
Boyd Rice - Track 1, Side 1
The Blue Orchids - Work
Afrika Bambaataa and the Soul Sonic Force - Planet Rock
Mighty Mighty - Night After Night
Bongwater - His Old Look
Lard - The Power Of Lard
Pixies - Here Comes Your Man

Disc Two:

Joe Strummer - Island Hopping (chosen by Luce Mellor, also available on Earthquake Weather)
Skinned Teen - Pillow Case Kisser
Bikini Kill - Capri Pants
Stock, Hausen and Walkman - Belly Up
Stereolab & Nurse With Wound - Simple Headphone Mind
Lal Waterson & Oliver Knight - At First She Starts
Karen Dalton - In The Evening (It's So Hard To Tell Who's Going To Love You The Best)
Mulatu Astatke - Yakermo Sew
Matmos - Stupid Fambaloo
The Frogs - Sailors Board Me Now
Schneider TM vs Kpt. Michigan - The Light 3000
The Carter Family - No Depression In Heaven
James Luther Dickinson - O How She Dances
Bjork - Where Is The Line
LCD Soundsystem - Losing My Edge (chosen by Spazom, also available on LCD Soundsystem)

Mercury Shortlist Announced

The Mercury Music Prize shortlist was announced this morning. As usual, it is sparking great debate. Daily Telegraph rock critic Neil McCormick calls it an "absolutely terrible list." He says, "It doesn't reflect what a great year it's been in music," noting Kate Bush and Lily Allen's absence on the shortlist. Other artists bypassed include Corinne Bailey Rae, Goldfrapp, and Morrissey.

The shortlist, as usual, includes some artists expected to get the nod (Guillemots, Hot Chip, Richard Hawley, Arctic Monkeys, and Muse). There's also, as there generally are, a couple of lesser-known artists whose careers will get a big boost from the nomination but who will likely not be expected to win.

The odds will likely change a great deal from now until September 5th, when the winner is announced, and they're not necessarily reliable anyway. That disclaimer aside, right now bookmaker William Hill favors Arctic Monkeys and Thom Yorke, with 5/1 odds.

I think Guillemots, or possibly Hawley.

The Mercury Music Prize Shortlist:



Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not ("Great songs astonishingly performed. Essential" - judging panel) Odds: 5/1



Editors - The Back Room ("Edgy, forceful, and compelling - a hugely impressive debut") Odds: 6/1



Guillemots - Through The Windowpane ("A superbly adventerous exploration of mood and melody - ambitious and imaginative") Odds: 6/1

Guillemots - Made Up Love Song #43 (the song is on the 2005 I Saw Such Things In My Sleep and From The Cliffs EPs as well as Through The Windowpane The video is as giddy as the song.



Hot Chip - The Warning ("Irresistible DIY electropop - brilliantly realised") Odds: 8/1

Hot Chip - Over And Over (available on The Warning)

While the video for "Over And Over" doesn't include a "monkey with a miniature cymbal" as mentioned in the lyrics, it's still oddly compelling.



Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan - Ballad Of The Broken Seas ("Eerie and sensual, sweet and sinister, evocative and remarkable") Odds: 8/1



Lou Rhodes - Beloved One ("A deeply personal acoustic album of elegant and effecting songs") Odds: 10/1



Muse - Black Holes & Revelations ("Bold, brave, and bright") Odds: 8/1



Richard Hawley - Coles Corner ("This is a collection of instantly classic ballads") Odds: 8/1



Scritti Politti - White Bread Black Beer ("sublime and uplifting pop") Odds: 10/1

Scritti Politti - E Eleventh Nuts



Sway - This Is My Demo ("Witty and mesmerising observations of everyday life of urban Britain, delivered with panache and passion.") Odds: 8/1



Thom Yorke - The Eraser ("A compelling new setting for Thom Yorke's unique voice and lyrical vision") Odds: 5/1



Zoe Rahman - Melting Pot ("One of the UK's most distinctive jazz talents, pianist Zoe Rahman draws the listener into her own absorbing world") Odds: 10/1

Extras Needed For Ian Curtis Biopic

Via the BBC, "hundreds of extras" are wanted for crowd scenes that will be filmed in Nottingham through July and "into August" for Control, Anton Corbijn's film about Ian Curtis. If you're interested (and are reasonably close to Nottingham), email controlfilm [at] leftlion.co.uk

Joy Division - She's Lost Control (available on Unknown Pleasures. The song was inspired by a fellow epileptic Curtis knew who had been unable to find a job and whose physical and mental health had undergone a decline similar to his own)

Albums With The Greatest Influence

In honor of July's 50th anniversary of the pop album chart, the Guardian assembled a panel to make a list of the 50 albums that "have had the greatest lasting influence on music."

The Velvet Underground & Nico, still fresh off its Uncut nod for "Greatest Debut Album", also comes out on top here. The Guardian calls it "arguably the most influential rock album of all time." Without it, the paper says we would also be without "Bowie, Roxy Music, Siouxsie and the Banshees and the Jesus and Mary Chain, among many others." Perish the thought.

The Beatles' Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is an unsurprising #2. A more surprising pick: The Spice Girls' 1996 debut album, Spice, deemed the 21st most influential album. Sure, the panel acknowledges it's "Motown lite" and "unoriginal" but they also feel it "touched a nerve and defined a generation of tweenies who took it to heart."

Can any one album really define a generation? Is it up to some comparative geezer to define a generation he's not a part of, let alone to do so in such a simplistic way? Spice appealed to kids and concerned a few parents ("'if you wanna be my lover?' What the-?"). That's nothing new; it happens every generation. The Guardian mostly discusses the marketing "phenomenon" of the Spice Girls, which was impressive, but is it relevant to whether they've had a "lasting influence on music"?

Kate Bush's The Hounds Of Love is right behind Spice. Also trailing it are Jimi Hendrix's Are You Experienced (27), Prince and the Revolution's Purple Rain (28), Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon (29), Radiohead's The Bends (38), and The Ramones' and The Smiths' self-titled debut albums (35 and 42, respectively). Have any of those albums had more of a lasting impact on music than the Spice Girls' first album? The other artists are more respected, and more often cited as influences, but how could the mega-success of a manufactured, and yes, very heavily marketed, pop group not encourage more of them? Still, I think it's less likely that an American panel would have seen the Spice Girls' influence as that significant. Sure, we dug Ginger Spice, but she wore a Union Jack dress, not the Stars and Stripes. No way could her influence on music be as enduring here.

The Top 15 from The Guardian's Top 50:

1. The Velvet Underground & Nico
2. The Beatles - Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

3. Kraftwerk - Trans-Europe Express

Kraftwerk - Showroom Dummies (available on Trans-Europe Express)

4. NWA - Straight Outta Compton
5. Robert Johnson - King of the Delta Blues Singers
6. Marvin Gaye - What's Going On

7. Patti Smith - Horses

Patti Smith - Kimberly (available on Horses)

8. Bob Dylan - Bringing it All Back Home ("fused hallucinatory lyricism and, on half of its tracks, a raw, ragged rock'n'roll thrust")
9. Elvis Presley - Elvis Presley
10. The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds ("Of late, Pet Sounds has replaced Sgt Pepper's as the critics' choice of Greatest Album of All Time... The beauty resides not just in its compositional genius and instrumental invention, but in the elaborate vocal harmonies that imbue these sad songs with an almost heartbreaking grandeur.")

11. David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars

David Bowie - Hang Onto Yourself (available on The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars

12. Miles Davis - Kind of Blue ("A rare example of revolutionary music that almost everyone liked from the moment they heard it.")

Miles Davis - Blue In Green (available on Kind of Blue)

13. Frank Sinatra - Songs For Swingin' Lovers

14. Joni Mitchell - Blue ("Raw, spare and sophisticated, it remains the template for a certain kind of baroque female angst.")

Joni Mitchell - A Case Of You (available on Blue)

15. Brian Eno - Discreet Music

Non-Random Tunes

These are fairly random songs. The only connection is that I put them all on different mix CDs recently. Ah, mix CD: part art, part science, part food science (each mix CD I give someone comes with a freshly baked cookie lacquered to the jewel case. It's more about presentation than nutrition).

Imperial Teen - Ivanka (available on On)

Dar Williams - Are You Out There (available on End Of The Summer)

The Ocean Blue - Bliss Is Unaware (available on Beneath the Rhythm & Sound)

that dog - Long Island (available on Retreat From The Sun)

The Album Leaf - Asleep (available on One Day I'll Be On Time)

Inbreds - "Any Sense Of Time"

One of the many joys of YouTube is rediscovering old favorites. I've been meaning to share this video, which I never saw the first time around, back in 1994. It's for "Any Sense Of Time" by Canadian group Inbreds. The video is not particularly special, aside from nostalgia value and the song's niftiness, but I'm still happy to have finally seen it.



Inbreds - Any Sense Of Time (available on Kombinator)

Vanuatu Called Happiest Place On The Planet

The New Economics Foundation, via the catchier-sounding, Happy Planet Index has ranked the comparative happiness of 178 of the world's countries based on their "ecological footprint, life-satisfaction, and life expectancy".

The citizens of island nation Vanuatu, already the happiest place on earth, out of the nations ranked by the Happy Planet Index, may be a little happier now that they have bragging rights over the other countries on the list. Vanuatu fares less well on another list; they're 207th out of 233 economies measured by Gross Domestic Product.

Yet countries with larger economies were not found to be among the happiest. The United States is the 150th happiest; the U.K. the 108th. Japan came in 95th. Colombia and Costa Rica were 2nd and 3rd. Zimbabwe came in last.

Citing the poor link between GDP and a nation's welfare, the Happy Planet people suggest that countries not encourage people to buy more shiny new things. Rather, they advocate other steps such as improving healthcare, encouraging cultural activities, and empowering people to participate in their government.

The Style Council - Headstart For Happiness (available on The Collection)

Depeche Plans Best-Of, Including New Material

This November, Depeche Mode will release another best-of album, for those who just can't get enough Depeche compilations... even after Catching Up With Depeche Mode, The Singles 81>85, The Singles 86>98, the Singles box sets, et al. For those non-completists wavering about whether they should get the album, the group is sweetening the deal by adding at least one new track, yet to be recorded. Now what would you pay?

No price has yet been set, actually, and there's no track listing yet for the greatest hits.

Also forthcoming from Depeche Mode: "Touring The Angel: Live In Milan", a live 2 DVD/1 CD set which will be available on September 25th. The CD includes live versions of eight songs from Playing the Angel. One DVD contains 21 songs recorded during their Milan concerts February 18th and 19th, 2006. The other DVD collects a pair of "bonus" live songs, an electronic press kit for Playing the Angel, the "official tour announcement from Germany", and a 20-minute documentary directed by Anton Corbijn, who also designed the six screens used on stage during the concerts, and is currently directing his first feature film, Control: The Ian Curtis Film.

Depeche Mode - A Question Of Time (available on Black Celebration, and on the track listing for the "Touring The Angel" DVD)

The Wussiest Rock Songs Ever

In its August issue, on sale Tuesday, Blender takes a break from its insightful coverage of the Pussycat Dolls and Johnny Knoxville to list the sixteen wussiest rock songs ever. They probably picked the number sixteen because it's the least wussy number. Yeah; rock!

Blender's 16 Totally Wussy Songs To Mock and Hurl Hatred Toward*

*the actual title of their list is wussier than that

Air Supply - "All Out of Love"

James Blunt - "You're Beautiful"

Debby Boone - "You Light Up My Life"

Bread - "If"

Captain & Tennille - "Muskrat Love"

Chicago - "You're the Inspiration"

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - "Our House"

Dan Fogelberg - "Longer"

Taylor Hicks - "Do I Make You Proud"

Dan Hill - "Sometimes When We Touch"

Michael Jackson - "She's Out of My Life"

Loggins & Messina - "Danny's Song"

'N Sync - "God Must Have Spent a Little More Time on You"

Lionel Richie - "Hello"

Simon & Garfunkel - "Scarborough Fair"

Stevie Wonder - "I Just Called to Say I Love You"

First, rock songs? How many of those songs are really "rock"? "Muskrat Love", sure, that rocks, but then again, it isn't wussy either. It's one of the least wimpy songs about rodents in love! Also, people who call Chicago or Air Supply songs wussy might just be jealous because they can't open up emotionally like those guys. People who call that James Blunt song wussy just don't appreciate bad music. It's mostly a list of love songs the Blender people don't like. I dislike "Lady In Red" and Celine Dion songs, so maybe that means they're "wussier".

A list of the 25 wussiest rock artists includes Hilary Duff, Chris Martin, and Kenny G in the top ten (Yanni is nowhere in sight), with James Taylor landing in the top spot despite not producing any songs wussy enough to make it to the Top Wussy 16. Blender says they chose him for starting "an era of confessional, listen-to-my-troubles singer/songwriters and turn(ing) self-examination into a hallmark of the baby-boom generation." Yeah, self-examination as a trait of babyboomers? That's really all on Taylor's head. Also, self-examination is apparently very bad. There are better things to be cross at babyboomers for, like lying about what they did in the 60s or making you fight for your right to party when you were a kid, just because they were bitter that they really spent the 60s reading textbooks and sipping herbal tea.

Chicago's video for "You're The Inspiration":

Money Only Buys Happiness If You Use It to Buy Friends

The Chris Peterson played by Chris Elliot on the unjustly shortlived television show Get a Life was a paperboy who occasionally explored other career options, such as professional male modeling and counseling troubled youth.

The Chris Peterson who has attempted to "quantify happiness" works at the University of Pennysylvania's Positive Psychology Institute, which sounds like a fictitious job, but is not. He has devised an "Authentic Happiness Inventory" test (registration is required to take it. The Positive Psychology people warn that they "may also occasionally e-mail you with general information on Positive Psychology or opportunities in Positive Psychology." Apparently they don't feel that spam makes people unhappy).

The Authentic Happiness Inventory rates joy on a scale from 1-5. A Pew Research Center survey has found the average American scores a 3.2.

Peterson says the most important factor in happiness is having friends. Making more money, he said, is less important than having friends at the workplace.

The survey also found that there are more unhappy people in big cities, and that married people are usually happier than their single counterparts. People with children are no happier than those without kids.

Whether people answer honestly when asked how happy they are is debateable, and there are many other factors, such as age.

The "Inventory" also asks only about your last week, which isn't necessarily a great indicator of how happy you are with life in general. People do have good weeks and bad weeks.

How to make more people happier, and how to make that a valued social and political goal... that's a mite trickier than this online survey business.

If people in big cities are more likely to be unhappy, maybe everyone in big cities should move. Voila, a happier citizenry!

Only then the small towns would be large, and everyone who had been more likely to be happy would be more likely to be unhappy, as would the people who were originally at an increased risk of unhappiness.

Or there's that friend thing, yes, definitely easier!

Cynthia Fee - Thank You For Being A Friend (a.k.a. The Golden Girls Theme, available on Television's Greatest Hits, Vol.6: Remote Control)

Built To Spill - Happiness (available on Ancient Melodies Of The Future)

Devo - Beautiful World (available on New Traditionalists)

The Divine Comedy - In Pursuit Of Happiness (available on A Secret History)

Camera Obscura - I Need All The Friends I Can Get (available on Let's Get Out Of The Country)

XTC - Earn Enough For Us (available on The Upsy Daisy Assortment)

The Allegedly Best Lyrics Of This Generation

Recently, USA Weekend and Billboard jointly conducted a poll -- yes, it took both of them to conduct one this special. They asked Billboard.com visitors to answer a question most people likely ponder every day: "What are the best song lyrics of the past 13 years?"

Billboard's Executive Editor found it "no surprise" that the song that came out on top, with 33% of the votes, was "We Belong Together", written and sung by the melismatic Mariah Carey. Billboard staffers might have a good handle on the lyrical tastes of Billboard.com poll respondents, but it's a pity those tastes lean toward the insipid.

A sample from the winning lyrics:

When you left I lost a part of me
It's still so hard to believe
Come back baby please cause
We belong together
- "We Belong Together"

Really, 33% of the "more than 5,000 music fans" who voted in this poll? You think that's - not your favorite song - but the one with the best lyrics of the past 13 years?

The earworm factor alone could account for Santana/Rob Thomas collaboration "Smooth" and Alicia Keys ' "Fallin'" snagging the spots right below "We Belong Together".

Not that the lyrics from each of these songs aren't very clever indeed:

You got the kind of lovin' that can be so smooth
Give me your heart, make it real,
Or else forget about it
- "Smooth"

I keep on fallin'
In and out of love with you
- "Fallin'"

(It might be because he writes songs that remind her of smooth peanut butter and she prefers chunky.)

Outkast's fun, hook-laden "Hey Ya", fifth on the list, is a better choice, as is Everything But The Girl's pretty, sad ode to lost love, "Missing" (eighth).

Some of the songs on the list are pretty well-written. Others, less so, particularly in comparison to more deserving tunes. It might be difficult to think back on 13 years of music without fairly recent, pretty popular songs lodging themselves in your head and refusing to make room for memories of older, better-written songs.

Poor "Tubthumping" deserves better, but you ain't never gonna keep it down.

The Top Ten:

1. Mariah Carey - "We Belong Together" (2005)

2. Santana featuring Rob Thomas - "Smooth" (1999)

3. Alicia Keys - "Fallin'" (2001)

4. Eminem - "Lose Yourself" (2002)

5. Outkast - "Hey Ya!" (2003)

6. Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories - "Stay" (1994)

7. Coolio - "Gangsta's Paradise" (1995)

8. Everything But The Girl - Missing (available on Amplified Heart) (1994)

9. TLC - "No Scrubs" (1999)

10. Mary J. Blige - "Family Affair" (2001)

The Mr. T Experience's Frank Portman

Those who don't know their music may still know a song title or two from the great alt-punk band The Mr. T Experience. Something about "Even Hitler Had A Girlfriend" might stick with you. Beyond the irreverent titles are... irreverent lyrics, but clever ones, and powerful, fun music.

The group's lead singer/guitarist/songwriter Dr. Frank, also known as Frank Portman, released a solo album, Show Business Is My Life, in 1999. More recently, he recorded a homemade CD of mostly acoustic tracks called eight little songs, which he originally only intended to sell during his northeast tour this spring, but which is now also available by mail order. He hopes to get feedback on the songs, some of which may be on his next album in one form or another.

He writes:

I've been thinking about how comments on the songs and criticism or discussion of the songwriting always occurs after the record has already been made. There's nothing wrong with that, but why can't it happen before that? I've noticed that when you play unreleased songs acoustically, people seem to pay a bit more attention to the songs as songs.

Portman has also been garnering attention for King Dork, a satirical coming-of-age novel for young adults published in April. Fortunately for Portman, the attention's been mostly positive! Still, on his website, Dr. Frank cheekily tucked away this amusingly chopped-up quote among a long list of bookjacket-friendly praise for his book:

"King Dork... will appeal only to... teens with an interest in... oral sex..." - VOYA.

VOYA ("Voice of Youth Advocates") is "the library magazine serving those who serve young adults" and as such is not to be confused with, say, School Library Journal, which aims to "serve librarians who work with young people in schools and public libraries." You so do not want to attend a VOYA/School Library Journal softball game, incidentally. Vicious, just vicious. And a rule dispute can last for hours. School Library Journal gave the book a starred review ("Original, heartfelt, and sparkling with wit and intelligence) while noting the salty language ("oral sex is a frequent topic, as is drug use by teens and adults-but none of it is gratuitous.") Portman's out-of-context VOYA blurb is funnier, though. The random glossary page is fun, too. I'm partial to this entry:

Gilligan's Island (GILL-gan SIS-land):
a television show, certain episodes of which contain the secret to the meaning of existence, concealed by means of coded messages and obscure symbolism.

Frank Portman Tour Dates:

Wednesday, 7/12
New York, New York - Coliseum Books - 6:30 PM
King Dork reading, signing; all ages
Show at 6:30PM

Thursday, 7/13
New York, New York - Sidewalk Cafe - 11:00 PM
Acoustic Show; all ages

Sunday, 7/23
Los Angeles, CA - Hammer Museum at UCLA - noon
Songwriting workshop for kids - aged 8-13. They will probably ask you to leave if they think you look 25. Looking confused and claiming to be flattered isn't any likelier to work than it is when you're carded and really underage. Anyway, there's something subversive and awesome about a bunch of children learning songwriting from Dr. Frank. The younger, the better! Space limited to 20 kids, and reservations are required. See the Hammer site for more info.

Sunday, 7/23
Hollywood, CA - Amoeba Music - 3:00 PM
Acoustic set and booksigning

The Mr. T Experience - King Dork (available on ... and the Women Who Loved Them)

The Mr. T Experience - Up And Down (ridiculously catchy and feel-good cover of a Sesame Street song. It's on Big Black Bugs Bleed Blue Blood)

Oodles more MP3s at Frank Portman's website.

Google, Polyamory, Spyware Added to Dictionary

It's new word time again! Already. I was either aflutter with excitement or slightly chilly - can't be sure which - upon spotting the news in today's L.A. Times that google has attained worddom*. The Times focused somewhat on how very quickly google became a verb (meaning "to use the Google search engine to obtain information... on the World Wide Web"). It took just five years. A lot of people have been using it as a word often enough that it likely could have been added earlier. But mostly the Times was concerned on the potential impact on Google's trademark. Of less interest: what's in the public's interest. At least they gave readers a bit of entertaining trivia to divert us from wondering about that: the new word falls in between "goofy" and "googly-eyed", how wacky!

Merriam-Webster doesn't just cause corporations headaches over their intellectual property! They've added almost 100 shiny, new words including mouse potato ("a person who spends a great deal of time using a computer"), spyware, biodiesel, wave pool ("a large swimming pool equipped with a machine for producing waves"), polyamory, and coqui. A coqui is a "small chiefly nocturnal" frog that lives in trees which does not appear to have any links to polyamory, at least based on its definition. However, ownership of either exotic frogs and/or a wave pool would seem likely to attract people to your pad for either polyamorous or non-polyamorous purposes.

Please note that ownership of wave pools and/or exotic frogs that live in trees may be illegal and/or irresponsible in some areas, such as a dorm in winter (though if you manage to put a large swimming pool in a dorm room... kudos). Also, either might not really attract anyone for any purpose. Use of biodiesels is much more likely to attract people, mainly because they'll think you've got french fries.

*Worddom isn't a word? Well, that's ridiculous. Freakin' "drama queen", which, let's face it, is a phrase, gets to be a word and perfectly logical, compact, one-word "worddom" is left out in the cold? Sigh. So wrong. So very, very wrong. Noah Webster would be with me on this one. If they have dictionaries wherever he is, he's probably playing scrabble and putting down "worddom" right now. Poor Noah. I hope whoever he's playing with doesn't challenge it!

Missing Persons - Words (available on The Best of Missing Persons)

The Greatest Debut Albums

The new Uncut lists the 100 greatest debut albums. The greatest of all? 1967's The Velvet Underground & Nico. While an excellent album, it totally came out before I was even, like, born. Greatest Debut Albums released in my lifetime include Arcade Fire's Funeral (100) and Franz Ferdinand (90). Whither Hasselhoff? As long as the Arcade Fire album's on there, might as well include one by Hasselhoff. The world loves the Hoff and he's trendy at the moment, too.

Uncut's Top 10 Greatest Debut Albums:

1. The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground & Nico
2. Television - Marquee Moon
3. The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced
4. The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses
5. The Band - Music From Big Pink
6. The Clash - The Clash
7. Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin
8. Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures
9. Roxy Music - Roxy Music
10. The Stooges - The Stooges

The Velvet Underground - Femme Fatale (available on The Velvet Underground & Nico)

Roxy Music - Virginia Plain (available on Roxy Music)

Franz Ferdinand - Come On Home (available on Franz Ferdinand)

~ YouSendIt was down tonight, coincidentally the day after I got a bit of negative feedback about it. I've heard almost entirely positive feedback about YSI, but at least for me, when it is annoying, it's really annoying -- as in, it's just unavailable. Any thoughts about alternatives would be appreciated. The ideal service would be free, lightning-fast, and have no advertising, but nothing is ideal... As close as I can get to that would be great. ~

The Word July 2006 Now Hear This! CD

The shy and soft-spoken Neil Young is on the cover of the latest issue of The Word, which as usual includes a free CD...

The Word July 2006 Now Hear This! CD Track Listing:


1. Frank Black - Johnny Barleycorn
2. James Hunter - People Gonna Talk (available on People Gonna Talk). This swinging soul/R&B tune is from Hunter's third album, released earlier this year, but it sounds straight from the 60s.
3. Camille - La Jeune Fille Aux Cheveux Blancs (available on Le Fil). Former Nouvelle Vague singer Camille sings of a girl with white hair as backing vocals harmonize.
4. Quinn - Slowmotion Smile (available on Luss, out since June 5th in the UK, might be hard to find in the US). Nifty song highlighting the band's languid-voiced singer (guitarist/vocalist Louise Quinn) and incorporating turntable-scratching, a stop-start rhythm, a trumpet, and handclapping.
5. John Cale - Paris 1919
6. Unkle Bob - Too Many People
7. Stephen Yerkey - My Baby Love The Western Violence
8. Catherine Feeny - I Still Don't Believe You
9. Dave Alvin - Kern River
10. Ed Harcourt - Shadowboxing (available on The Beautiful Lie). Moody, deliberate.
11. Nerina Pallot - Idaho
12. Scott Matthews - Elusive
13. Camera Obscura - Tears For Affairs (available on Let's Get Out Of This Country). Sweetly stylized retro alt-pop.
14. Townes Van Zandt - Waitin' Round To Die

Fourth O' July

Alas, there's an unusual cast to Independence Day this year... it doesn't feel right to skip ahead to my next post, though (it'll be a British one, and we're celebrating freedom from that lot today!). So just one song today. Hope my fellow Americans have a happy and safe Independence Day. (Everyone else, hope you are happy and safe as well; you understand the phrasing!)

Pavement - No More Kings (available on Schoolhouse Rock! Rocks)

40 Best Tracks of the 80s

The 40 Best Tracks Of The 80s, according to Q magazine:

1. Michael Jackson - "Billie Jean"

Q calls it "unspeakably funky, from the bassline, courtesy of Louis Johnson (of '70s funkers The Brothers Johnson), to Jackson's own super-taut synthesizer arrangement."

I was never a fan of any of his songs... and number 1? Really?

2. New Order - "Blue Monday"

Q: "New Order's immaculate art-disco classic invented alternative dance music and prepared the world for acid house."

"True Faith" did better on the UK charts (it got to #4, "Blue Monday" to #9). I don't think that means it's better, but Q cites chart position a lot during their list, as though it's pretty good evidence. No quibble with "Blue Monday". New Order had several 80s singles that deserve a high place on the list. Hard to go wrong.

3. Prince - "Kiss"
4. Run DMC Feat. Aerosmith - "Walk This Way"
5. Guns N' Roses - "Sweet Child O' Mine"
6. The Clash - "Should I Stay Or Should I Go"
7. Bruce Springsteen - "Born In The USA"

8. Pet Shop Boys - "West End Girls"

Q: "Tennant and Lowe's melancholy tribute to sleazy '80s Soho and Gerrard Street's now sadly departed Dive Bar gave them a transatlantic Number 1, and established their blend of dance-pop joy and wistful social commentary."

9. Madonna - "Into The Groove"

Q: "Madge's first UK chart-topper, distilling the sound of mid-'80s New York clubland into something flirty and new. Featured in the film Desperately Seeking Susan, resistance was futile."

10. The Specials - "Ghost Town" (available on Ghost Town)

Q: "Released with prescience in '81 as riots roared across the inner cities of London, Birmingham and Liverpool, Ghost Town hit Number 1 while describing an apocalyptic Britain."

11. Frankie Goes To Hollywood - "Relax"

12. Joy Division - "Love Will Tear Us Apart"

Q: "The title his epitaph, frontman Ian Curtis was inspired by anxiety about his epilepsy and marriage to pen this soaring, heartfelt rebuff to happy endings."

13. NWA - "Fuck Tha Police"
14. The Smiths - "How Soon Is Now"
15. The Jam - "Going Underground"
16. Soft Cell - "Tainted Love"
17. The La's - "There She Goes"
18. U2 - "Sunday Bloody Sunday"
19. Blondie - "Rapture"

20. Depeche Mode - "Personal Jesus"

Q: "The thumping beats could demolish walls, as slide guitar and stabbing bass accompany vocals that echo like the Devil stubbing his toe on the Grand Canyon."

I checked the release date, as I don't think of it as an 80s song. The single was released in August of 1989, and it's on Violator, which came out in 1990. It squeaks in, but it's borderline. If chart position's an important factor, why not choose "People Are People"? It reached #4 on the UK chart in 1984 (no Depeche single has landed higher; only 1997's "Barrel of a Gun" and 2005's "Precious" have tied it). Or mayhaps "Just Can't Get Enough", the first Depeche single to crack the top ten; it hit #8 in the UK in 1981. Neither is one of my favorite Depeche Mode songs of the 80s, and I love the group... I think both are very well-known and thought of as classic 80s songs, though.

21. David Bowie - "Let's Dance"
22. Grandmaster Flash And The Furious Five - "The Message"

23. Dexys Midnight Runners - "Geno" (available on Searching for the Young Soul Rebels )

Q: "The look was On The Waterfront street tough but the sound was Stax soul as filtered through the passionate, barmy lens of ex-punk Kevin Rowland."

24. R.E.M. - "The One I Love"
25. Van Halen - "Jump"
26. Morrissey "Everyday Is Like Sunday"
27. Stevie Wonder - "Masterblaster (Jammin')"
28. The Stranglers - "Golden Brown"
29. M/A/R/S - "Pump Up The Volume"
30. Grace Jones - "Slave To The Rhythm"
31. Motorhead - "Ace Of Spades"
32. The Rolling Stones - "Start Me Up"
33. Neil Young - "Rockin' In The Free World"
34. Billy Bragg - "A New England"
35. Dinosour Jr. - "Freak Scene"
36. Madness - "Baggy Trousers"

37. Don Henley - "The Boys Of Summer" (available on Actual Miles: Henley's Greatest Hits )

Q: "Eagles drummer laments lost love and ideals on a peerless slice of Californian soft rock. The indelible image of "a Deadhead sticker on a Cadillac" seals its classic status."

Great choice.

38. Bob Dylan - "Blind Willie McTell"
39. The Waterboys - "The Whole Of The Moon"

40. Culture Club - "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me"

Q: "The plaintive reggae-soul of their first Number 1 introduced the planet to Boy George, the cuddly gender-bender, who preferred a cup of tea to shagging - before becoming 1986's most high-profile smack addict, that is."

Oh, how I hated this song, partly due to how omnipresent it was, partly because I found it grating in a whiny sort of way. Years later I found it no longer bothered me, but at the time... ugh!

~ Reasoning for all the tracks and other 80s-related articles in the magazine ~

40 Best Albums of the 80s

40 Best Albums of the 80s, according to Q magazine:

1. U2 - The Joshua Tree

Key Track: "Where The Streets Have No Name"

Yet that song is not one of the "best tracks of the 80s"...(that list's forthcoming)

2. Michael Jackson - Thriller

Key Track: "Billie Jean"

3. The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead

Key Track: "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out"

4. Kate Bush- Hounds Of Love

Key Track: "Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)"

5. The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses

Key Track: "I Am The Resurrection"

What a strange typo. "I Am The Resurrection" looks very little like "I Wanna Be Adored".

6. R.E.M. - Murmur

Key Track: "Radio Free Europe"

7. Public Enemy - It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back

Key Track: "Rebel Without A Pause"

8. Joy Division - Closer

Key Track: "Isolation"

9. AC/DC - Back In Black

Key Track: "You Shook Me All Night Long"

10. Guns N' Roses - Appetite For Destruction

Key Track: "Sweet Child O' Mine"

11. Pixies - Doolittle

Key Track: "Debaser"

12. Prince - Sign O' The Times

Key Track: "Sign O' The Times"

13. Bruce Springsteen - Nebraska

Key Track: "Atlantic City"

14. Madonna - Like A Prayer

Key Track: "Like A Prayer"

15. The Jam - Sound Affects

Key Track: "That's Entertainment"

16. Beastie Boys - Licensed To Ill

Key Track: "(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party)"

17. The Cure - Disintegration

Key Track: "Pictures Of You"

18. Happy Mondays - Bummed

Key Track: "Wrote For Luck"

19. The Human League - Dare

Key Track: "Don't You Want Me"

20. De La Soul - 3 Feet High And Rising

Key Track: "The Magic Number"

21. New Order - Technique

Key Track: "Fine Time"

22. Pet Shop Boys - Actually

Key Track: "It's A Sin"

23. The Jesus And Mary Chain - Psychocandy

Key Track: "Never Understand"

24. George Michael - "Faith"

Key Track: "I Want Your Sex"

25. The Police - Synchronicity

Key Track: "Every Breath You Take"

26. Lou Reed - New York

Key Track: "Dirty Blvd."

27. Talking Heads - Remain In Light

Key Track: "Once In A Lifetime"

28. Echo & The Bunnymen - Ocean Rain

Key Track: "The Killing Moon"

29. Peter Gabriel - 3

Key Track: "Games Without Frontiers"

30. Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation

Key Track: "Teen Age Riot"

31. Talk Talk - Spirit Of Eden

Key Track: "Desire"

32. Jane's Addiction - Nothing's Shocking

Key Track: "Jane Says"

33. Bob Dylan - Oh Mercy

Key Track: "Most Of The Time"

34. Soul II Soul- Club Classics Vol. One

Key Track: "Keep On Movin'"

35. Def Leppard - Pyromania

Key Track: "Photograph"

36. Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombones

Key Track: "In The Neighborhood"

37. The Pogues - If I Should Fall From Grace With God

Key Track: "Fairytale Of New York"

38. The Blue Nile - Hats

Key Track: "Headlights On The Parade"

39. Paul Simon - Graceland

Key Track: "Homeless"

40. Iron Maiden - The Number Of The Beast

Key Track: "The Number Of The Beast"

~ Reasoning for each choice in the mag, along with explanations for why artists such as Thompson Twins and Huey Lewis & The News were left off the list... ~

Q Covered - The Eighties CD

The August Q is the 80s issue, complete with an 80s covers CD and an old photo of a young Madonna on the cover itself.

In the mag, lists of the 40 best albums and 40 best tracks of the 80s (separate post on those lists to come), an article about Madonna (no new interview with her), another about Boy George (ditto), a feature about the making of U2's The Joshua Tree, and interviews with Corinne Bailey Rae and The Who's Roger Daltrey.

Q refers to this compilation as containing "15 exclusive covers" but in their "liner notes" in the magazine six of the songs are listed as available elsewhere. The others were either "Specially recorded for Q" or "Exclusive to Q magazine". Still, many of the songs are Q exclusives...

Q Covered - The Eighties Track Listing:

1. Orson - I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)
2. The Futureheads - Let's Dance (David Bowie cover, specially recorded for Q)
3. Boy Kill Boy - It's Different For Girls
4. Neal Casal - Wishing Well (Terence Trent D'Arby cover, specially recorded for Q)
5. Lorraine - Heaven
6. Cord - Spirits In The Material World
7. Boy Least Likely To - Faith (George Michael cover, specially recorded for Q)
8. Teddy Thompson - Don't Dream It's Over (Crowded House cover, specially recorded for Q)
9. Catherine Feeny - I'm On Fire
10. Kelley Stoltz - Heaven Up Here
11. Camera Obscura - Modern Girl (Sheena Easton cover, specially recorded for Q)
12. Clayhill - Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want
13. Katie Melua - Just Like Heaven
14. Placebo - Running Up That Hill
15. Elf Power - Upside Down