SOUTH

SOUTH: what an incredibly forgettable, generic, unGoogleable name for a band. Hell, why not just call yourselves Beige? Or Bland? Or Yawn? (Though, come to think of it, some dream-pop outfit out there might do pretty well with Yawn.)

South is/are a London trio who have been mentored by the likes of THE STONE ROSES' IAN BROWN and UNKLE's JAMES LAVELLE. I first became aware of them with their 2001 album, FROM HERE ON IN. At the time, I considered them a sort of shoegaze version of TRAVIS (damn those Brits & their incredibly forgettable, generic, unGoogleable names! Why not Bob? Or Bill? Or Larry?)

Generally-speaking, South are a standard, guitar-centric Britpop band with a few electronic accoutrements. Indeed, every now and again, they can sound quite a lot like NEW ORDER (see/hear "A Place in Displacement" below). The new album, YOU ARE HERE, dropped in April.

SOUTH on MySPACE.

From the LP YOU ARE HERE, 2008 >>>
[MP3] "The Pain"
[MP3] "Lonely Highs"

From the LP ADVENTURES IN THE UNDERGROUND JOURNEY TO THE STARS, 2006 >>>
[MP3] "A Place in Displacement"
[MP3] "Safety in Numbers"

From the LP WITH THE TIDES, 2003 >>>
[MP3] "Loosen Your Hold"
[MP3] "Silver Sun"

From the LP FROM HERE ON IN, 2001 >>>
[MP3] "Too Much Too Soon"
[MP3] "All in for Nothing"

MARTHA WAINWRIGHT

Shiver-me-timbers-and-blow-the-man-down but I can be one dumb motherf*ck sometimes. Here I'd been resisting listening to MARTHA WAINWRIGHT's sophomore CD, I KNOW YOU'RE MARRIED BUT I'VE GOT FEELINGS TOO, because I'd never been all that impressed with her much-ballyhooed work with FAIRPORT CONVENTION and husband RICHARD THOMPSON.

Uh... hmmm....

So, you see, what I'd been doing was... I'd been confusing Martha Wainwright (a 32-year-old Canadian-American) with LINDA THOMPSON (a 60-year-old Brit). I mean, how the hell is that even possible?

Well... I can only defend myself by hook and by crook (a flow-chart might also be helpful): Martha Wainwright is the daughter of LOUDON WAINWRIGHT III (61; American) and KATE McGARRIGLE (62; Canadian). These two were apparently friends -- back in the day -- with Linda and Richard (59; Brit) Thompson. Loudon & Kate have a singer-songwriter son (RUFUS WAINWRIGHT; 34; Canadian-American). Richard & Linda also have a singer-songwriter son (TEDDY THOMPSON; 32; Brit). Rufus & Teddy were friends (until Rufus went to rehab). Like Rufus, Teddy has a singer-songwriter sister (KAMILA THOMPSON; 26; Brit). In 2004, Rufus Wainwright appeared in the film "The Aviator" (as "Cocoanut Grove Vocalist #1") with Leonardo DiCaprio. In 2002, Leonardo DiCaprio appeared in the film "Catch Me if You Can" with Tom Hanks. In 1995, Tom Hanks appeared in the film "Apollo 13" with Kevin Bacon. And there you have it. Endgame. Amen. Hallelujah. Yahtzee!

MARTHA WAINWRIGHT on MySPACE.

From the LP I KNOW YOU'RE MARRIED BUT I'VE GOT FEELINGS TOO, 2008 >>>
[MP3] "You Cheated Me"
[MP3] "So Many Friends"

From her self-titled LP, 2005 >>>
[MP3] "Factory"

BONUS TRACK >>>

[MP3] SNOW PATROL [w/MARTHA WAINWRIGHT]/"Set the Fire to the Third Bar"

ISLANDS

Last week's THE BLUE SEEDS hailed from Montreal; so do this week's ISLANDS. Beyond geography, however, the two groups would seem to have little in common.

Islands play a quirky brand of indie-pop that never wants to sit still. Maybe they just suffer from ADD, or maybe they're actively experiencing seizures while laying down their tracks. Whatever the case, the results can be exhilarating and/or exhausting -- sometimes simultaneously.

Their second album, ARM'S WAY, hit the bricks-and-mortar shops on May 20. "In the Rushes" is one of their typical, schizophrenic manifestos, while "Creeper" is their catchiest effort to date -- complete w/dance-y backbeat, snake-charmer guitar, and a cute-'n'-clever synthesizer breakdown that puts it over the top (in all the right ways). If ADD is to blame for this, hold the Ritalin.

ISLANDS on MySPACE.

From the LP ARM'S WAY, 2008 >>>
[MP3] "Creeper"
[MP3] "In the Rushes"

From the LP RETURN TO THE SEA, 2006 >>>
[MP3] [VID] "Rough Gem"
[MP3] "Volcanoes"

MATES OF STATE

Married musicians KORI GARDNER and JASON HAMMEL -- aka MATES OF STATE -- released their latest long-player on May 20. Despite its title, RE-ARRANGE US is not a remix album (as I initially assumed). With age, the band seems to be shedding some of its trademark quirks & eccentricities and settling into a more refined, mature sound. Thus, new listeners may find this to be a most warm and welcoming effort, while long-time fans bitch & moan (& yawn) over the blanketing lushness of the production and the relatively unadventurous song structures.

Me, I'm kind of liking it. Probably more than IMPERIAL TEEN's last LP, which seemed to have similar, "grown-up" ambitions.

MATES OF STATE on MySPACE.

From the LP RE-ARRANGE US, 2008 >>>
[MP3] "Now" [REMOVED BY REQUEST]
[MP3] "My Only Offer"
[VID] "Get Better"

From the LP BRING IT BACK, 2006 >>>
[MP3] "Beautiful Dreamer" [REMOVED BY REQUEST]
[MP3] "Nature and the Wreck" [REMOVED BY REQUEST]

FRANK SINATRA (REPRISE) - PART 1

Took a look at the charts the other day, and, lo and behold, there was OL' BLUE EYES -- a decade after his death -- sittin' pretty at #2. His new compilation is entitled NOTHING BUT THE BEST and draws from his Reprise recordings. It also serves as the catalyst for this post (and at least one more to come) (one for my baby, one more for the road)....

[MP3] "Fly Me to the Moon" [1964]

[MP3] "That's Life" [1966]

[MP3] "Call Me Irresponsible" [1963]

[MP3] "The Way You Look Tonight" [1964]

[MP3] "It Was a Very Good Year" [1965]

[MP3] "Theme From 'New York, New York'" [1980]

BOBBY WOMACK - PART 1

Okay, I'm going to level with you now.... I am very, very white. Literally, figuratively. Inside, out. Up, down & around. I can't dance. Can't jump. My crib is unpimped ('70s suburbia split-level; straight "Brady Bunch"). My fingers & grill are blingless. My rims are factory-issue. My coiff is more congressional comb-over than Superfly 'fro or cornrow.

Sadly, my skin is the color of a Croatian cadaver. A Scandinavian vampire. An albino agoraphobic. Which is to say: It's pale, baby. Pale as a potato's pith; a drinker's piss; an Irishman's ass. (Have I mentioned that I'm half Irish? And very, very pale?)

There is also the fact that I reside in the"whitest" city in these united states of America, located a mere two miles from the second "blackest" city in these united states of America. While EMINEM made his bones amongst 8 Mile's strip joints & storefront Methodists & Baptists, I willingly gave in to inertia amidst 6 Mile's strip malls and set-back Presbyterians & Catholics. Mere miles apart... yet Mr. Mathers' Devil's Nights were likely spent watching abandoned buildings burn to the turf, while mine were occupied with egging '70s split-levels and toilet-papering unsuspecting evergreens. Represent!

So, you see, what I'm trying to say is... I am decidedly unfunky. I lack soul (literally, figuratively). I have no rhythm. And even my blues are of the pale, powdered, suburban variety. Hell, I needed a fellow honky like Eminem to slip me a glimpse of African-American musical culture. Quentin Tarantino, as it turns out, too.

While, over the years, I've come to regard "Pulp Fiction" as ferociously overrated, I've remained a fan of its oft-forgotten follow-up, "Jackie Brown." It was the soundtrack to that latter film that introduced me to BOBBY WOMACK, a man with rampant rhythm, an abundance of funk, and some serious soul.

Well... last week, PITCHFORK trumpeted the news that a new compilation -- THE BEST OF BOBBY WOMACK: THE SOUL YEARS -- will be released this Tuesday (along with digital editions of the man's albums, spanning 1968 to 1976). Say no more. Time to get my groove on. Or, at least, as much groove as a half-Irish vampire cadaver can manage....

[MP3] "Across 110th Street" [1972]

[MP3] "California Dreamin'" [1969]

[MP3] "Harry Hippie" [1972]

[MP3] "Lookin' for a Love" [1974]

[MP3] "I Can't Take It Like a Man" [1970]

[MP3] "Fly Me to the Moon" [1969]

ODDS 'N' SODS #14

[MP3] THE DANDY WARHOLS/"Mission Control" [2008]

[MP3] THE NATIONAL/"Forever After Days" [2008]

[MP3] SEBASTIEN TELLIER/"Sexual Sportswear" [2008]

[MP3] THE BEATLES/"It Won't Be Long" [1963]

[MP3] THE CARS/"Stranger Eyes" [1983] [BY REQUEST]

[MP3] TRACY CHAPMAN/"ACROSS THE LINES" [1988] [BY REQUEST]

THE BLUE SEEDS

More MySpace namechecking...

For Montreal's THE BLUE SEEDS, it's PORTISHEAD and COWBOY JUNKIES that get mentioned as kindred, "sounds-like" spirits. And it's true enough -- especially in the case of the latter. (I'd go ahead and toss THE WALKABOUTS into the mix, as well.)

THE BLUE SEEDS on MySPACE.

[MP3] "That Night in Amsterdam"

[MP3] "Lost and Delirious"

LOW VS. DIAMOND

L.A.'s LOW VS. DIAMOND namecheck U2 and THE STROKES on their MySpace, but, to my ears, THE KILLERS are the far more obvious touchstone. To see if you agree, you can cozy up to their self-titled debut LP on iTunes, wait for the physical release of said debut LP sometime this summer, or download and listen to 18% of said debut LP right here, right now. The choice, as always, is yours....

LOW VS. DIAMOND on MySPACE.

[MP3] "Don't Forget Sister"

[MP3] "I'll Be"

THE TINGS TINGS

Much the same way that Oprah has gained godlike influence over the bestseller lists with her book-club selections, Apple/iTunes/iPod has become something of a finger-in-the-wind arbiter of what's hot & what's not in the pop-music milieu. Indeed, it's all-but-impossible to escape those digital silhouettes of teens & twentysomethings (one can only assume they're teens & twentysomethings) dancing the mess around and getting jiggy with the likes of GORILLAZ ("Feel Good Inc."), THE CAESARS ("Jerk It Out"), U2 ("Vertigo"), and, now, THE TING TINGS ("Shut Up and Let Me Go").

I must admit, these do tend to make for addictive snippets: the commercial as catnip. But... the "artistic" context and delivery system here almost can't help but cheapen the material, nevermind the fact that 30 seconds of music that's good to groove to does not in any way guarantee a three-and-a-half to four-minute song with an extended shelf-life.

That said, Twinkies are known to have excessively extended shelf-lives, and those sweet 'n' spongy treats are probably a pretty fitting metaphor for the Ting Tings' sassy brand of party pop. Highly-appealing in small doses; a wee-bit nauseating when over-indulged.

So, eschewing the obvious, Apple-endorsed ditty here, we present to you, instead, the following creme-filled confections for your responsible consumption....

THE TING TINGS on MySPACE.

[MP3] "Be the One"

[MP3] "We Walk"

SHEARWATER

OKKERVIL RIVER side-project SHEARWATER will release its fifth full-length effort, ROOK, on June 3. JONATHAN MEIBURG's eggshell-delicate voice is at its best when working against a steady, borderline-tense musical backdrop. "Rooks" demonstrates this in spades, while "Leviathan, Bound" might go all gossamer on us without its persistent, ringing piano and strings that somehow sound both sad and exultant. In short: darned purty stuff.

SHEARWATER on MySPACE.

[MP3] "Rooks"

[MP3] "Leviathan, Bound"

AMANDA JENSSEN

I am happy to admit that I have never, ever watched an episode of "American Idol." From the beginning, it simply didn't interest me. Glorified karaoke without the booze-fueled, bowling-alley charm? No thank you. I'll stick with "Top Chef."

(I can only assume that the people watching "Idol" are the same ones watching "America's Funniest Home Videos," "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," Oprah, and NASCAR. If they're Democrats, they favor Clinton. If they're Republicans, they favor Jesus. If they're independents, they're watching "House.")

But nevermind all that. This post is about AMANDA JENSSEN, of Sweden. Of "Swedish Idol," actually. Yes, there really is such a thing. In fact, there are 34 national "Idol"s, including Turkey, Slovakia, and Kazakhstan. (Rumor has it that CLAY AIKEN garnered his special-guest slot on "Serbia, Montenegro & Macedonia Idol" after he was mistaken for BARRY MANILOW. Which, of course, is entirely understandable.)

Turns out that Amanda Jenssen (like Clay Aiken) was the runner-up on her "Idol" season. The winner? MARIE PICASSO -- who, it turns out, also appeared on "Swedish Big Brother." Yes, there really is such a thing. Also: "Russian Big Brother," which, even post-Cold War, still seems like it would be very, very scary....

Amanda Jenssen has released her first album, the nicely-titled KILLING MY DARLINGS. It's pop music, with hints of WINEHOUSE-styled retro-soul. For example: "For the Sun," which is sort of "Winehouse + SHERYL CROW." "Come On (You Have Arrived)" sounds like THE SOUNDS or SAHARA HOTNIGHTS making a pass at BILLY SQUIER's "Rock Me Tonight." And "Greetings From Space" is a no-holds-barred ballad -- complete with sweeping strings & celestial choir. Think: SKEETER DAVIS' "The End of the World" mashed with DOLLY PARTON's "I Will Always Love You" (if Dolly had gone all WHITNEY on its ass).

AMANDA JENSSEN on MySPACE.

[MP3] "For the Sun"

[MP3] "Come On (You Have Arrived)"

[MP3] "Greetings From Space"

BONUS TRACKS >>>

[MP3] SKEETER DAVIS/"The End of the World"

[MP3] DOLLY PARTON/"I Will Always Love You"

[MP3] BILLY SQUIER/"Rock Me Tonight"

FREDDIE MERCURY

You know, ever since last Tuesday's regrettable-in-the-extreme JASON MRAZ post, I've had FREDDIE MERCURY on the brain. Eat your pale-pretender heart out, PAUL RODGERS....

[MP3] "Love Kills" [Star Rider remix]

[MP3] "There Must Be More to Life Than This"

[MP3] "I Can Hear Music" [pre-QUEEN]

[MP3] "Love Kills" [Sunshine People Radio mix]

NELLIE McKAY

You know, ever since Tuesday's almost-assuredly-regrettable JASON MRAZ post, I've had NELLIE McKAY on the brain. I sure wish she'd Get Away From Me and stop bothering My Pretty Little Head....

From the 2-LP GET AWAY FROM ME, 2004 >>>
[MP3] "Ding Dong"
[MP3] "Respectable"
[MP3] "David"

From the 2-LP PRETTY LITTLE HEAD, 2006 >>>
[MP3] "The Big One"
[MP3] "There You Are in Me"
[MP3] "The Down Low"
[MP3] "We Had It Right" [w/k.d. lang]

From the LP OBLIGATORY VILLAGERS, 2007 >>>
[MP3] "Identity Theft"

NEIL SEDAKA

[Unfortunately, "Calendar Girl" had some technical issues this morning. My apologies for that. A new, glitch-free copy has been substituted.]

You know, ever since Tuesday's perhaps-now-regrettable JASON MRAZ post, I've had NEIL SEDAKA on the brain. Only one way I can think of to get him offa there....

[MP3] "Calendar Girl" [1960]

[MP3] "You Mean Everything to Me" [1960]

[MP3] "Happy Birthday, Sweet Sixteen" [1961]

[MP3] "I Must Be Dreaming" [1961]

[MP3] "Breaking Up is Hard to Do" [1962]

[MP3] "Laughter in the Rain" [1974]

[MP3] "Breaking Up is Hard to Do" [1975]

LAMBCHOP

Lately, I've been traipsing my way through the back-catalogue of the Nashville collective LAMBCHOP. ALL MUSIC GUIDE begins its overview thusly:

"Touted as 'Nashville's most f*cked-up country band' by their label Merge Records, LAMBCHOP was arguably the most consistently brilliant and unique American group to emerge during the 1990s. Their unclassifiable hybrid of country, soul, jazz, and avant-garde noise seemed at one time or another to drink from every conceivable tributary of contemporary music, its baroque beauty all held together by the surreal lyrical wit and droll vocal presence of frontman KURT WAGNER."

For me, Lambchop misplaced much of its mojo after 2000's NIXON. Wagner's twisted tales became less... well... twisted. Less funny, in a nutshell. Not that the man had to continue to write songs with titles like "Soaky in the Pooper," "Your Fucking Sunny Day," "My Face Your Ass," or "I Sucked My Boss's Dick," but hey, that was certainly part of the charm. Even more troubling, though, is the fact that the musical backdrops have gradually become more stagnant & stale. Long, dark dirges bleed into still more long, dark dirges. I guess I miss those cosmopolitan country '60s strings. I guess I miss that electric transition when Wagner ratcheted his rusty croak into full-fledged falsetto. It all seemed vaguely insane. Sure, the train was always on the verge of jumping the tracks, but that was exactly what made it such a thrilling, invigorating ride.

Anyway... the songs below are meant to be of-a-piece -- an EP with song-to-song flow, as opposed to individual tracks all alone by their lonesome. Ultimately, this collection does not serve as a particularly useful career-spanning sampler (there are four songs from 1998's WHAT ANOTHER MAN SPILLS alone), but I like the general ebb and flow, and I think it works as a reasonable introduction to the highly peculiar charms of Kurt Wagner & Co.

LAMBCHOP on MySPACE.

[MP3] "Give Me Your Love (Love Song)" [1998]
[MP3] "Low Ambition" [2004]
[MP3] "It's Not Alright" [1998]
[MP3] "N.O." [1998]
[MP3] "King of Nothing Never" [1998]
[MP3] "Theone" [1996]
[MP3] "Again" [1996]

THE FUTUREHEADS

Hey, you learn something new every day....

While I was already familiar with the fact that RADIOHEAD took their name from the TALKING HEADS' song of 1986, "Radio Head," I was not familar with the fact that post-punk popsters THE FUTUREHEADS lifted their label from THE FLAMING LIPS' album of 1992, HIT TO DEATH IN THE FUTURE HEAD. (PORTISHEAD, of course, molded their moniker from the Washington Redskins' running back of 2004-2008, Clinton Portis.) (No, really, look it up.)

Near as I can tell, the Futureheads' new album, THIS IS NOT THE WORLD, will be released in the UK (and Europe?) on May 24 and North America on June 3.

(I have to say, there's something a bit off-putting about the production on the new disc. Everything seems to be turned up to 11 and pushed to the front, creating a highly unsupple and artificial-sounding Wall of Sound. Has the air of music made by machines, not men. I don't know... maybe I just prefer to get my "angular" fix from the likes of FRANZ FERDINAND, MAXIMO PARK, and BLOC PARTY....)

THE FUTUREHEADS on MySPACE.

From the LP THIS IS NOT THE WORLD, 2008 >>>
[MP3] "The Beginning of the Twist"
[MP3] "Think Tonight"

From their self-titled LP, 2004 >>>
[MP3] "Decent Days and Nights"

THIS IS IVY LEAGUE

Brooklyn's THIS IS IVY LEAGUE have been compared to SIMON AND GARFUNKEL, BELLE AND SEBASTIAN, and PETER BJORN & JOHN. Enough said? You make the call....

THIS IS IVY LEAGUE on MySPACE.

[MP3] "The Richest Kids"

[MP3] "Visions of Tokyo"

THE VEILS

THE VEILS' NUX VOMICA was my second favorite album of 2006, and that fact alone should have sent me scurrying to hear their 2004 debut, THE RUNAWAY FOUND. For whatever reason, that didn't happen. Perhaps because that earlier LP was recorded by almost entirely different musicians. Perhaps because it just slipped my then liquor-ridden mind. Perhaps both.

Whatever the case, I have now corrected that wrong by giving THE RUNAWAY FOUND the careful listen it has so long deserved. Not surprisingly, perhaps, it's not nearly as assured and/or distinctive as NUX VOMICA. But it still warrants some time and attention today.

For those of you who may not be familiar with the Veils, here's a bit o' the backstory, cribbed from my previously liquor-ridden self:

"THE VEILS are singer/songwriter FINN ANDREWS' baby, especially after he fired all of his bandmates after their 2004 debut, THE RUNAWAY FOUND. As he was barely 20 at the time, that deed no doubt seemed premature and precipitous -- the act of an emotionally unsteady enfant terrible.

Be that as it may, if the guy continues to produce thrillingly schizophrenic albums like 2006's NUX VOMICA, I say let him lay as many sacrificial heads on the chopping-block as his cold, dark heart desires.

Andrews' music has a shape-shifting, chameleon-quality to it (as does his voice, which is one that some listeners will have to grow to love). Just when you've got the record pegged as a well-executed exercise in breezy indie-pop and bright, joyous choruses ("Calliope!," "Advice for Young Mothers to Be"), the guy hauls out his hairshirt and starts going to town ("Jesus for the Jugular," "Pan"). But once that's done, he'll find the time and inclination to lighten up and do the BRUCE/E STREET BAND thing ("A Birthday Present"), or put his own stamp on the whole FRANZ FERDINAND/EDITORS/etc. trend ("One Night on Earth"). Through it all, that aforementioned voice of his rises and falls; sags and soars. At times, it's highly evocative of STARSAILOR's JAMES WALSH. But on the slow-burn-to-explosive title track, he could just as well be JEFF BUCKLEY's bitter big brother, angrily lurching his way through a DOORS/LED ZEPPELIN bender."

THE VEILS on MySPACE.

From the LP THE RUNAWAY FOUND, 2004 >>>
[MP3] [VID] "The Tide That Left and Never Came Back"
[MP3] "The Leavers Dance"

From the LP NUX VOMICA, 2006 >>>
[MP3] "One Night on Earth"
[MP3] "Calliope!"
[VID] "Advice for Young Mothers to Be"

JASON MRAZ

There is something inherently annoying about JASON MRAZ. I think that "something" is his propensity for White Boy scat-rapping. Just take a gander at the lyrics for his song "Wordplay" (I was merely going to excerpt this, but, with a song this abysmal, you really have to try to wrap your mind around the whole rancid enchilada):

I've been all around the world
I've been a new sensation
But it doesn't really matter
In this generation
The sophomore slump is an uphill battle
And someone said that ain’t my scene
'Cause they need a new song
Like a new religion
Music for the television
I can't do the long division
Someone do the math
For the record label puts me on the shelf up in the freezer
Got to find another way to live the life of leisure
So I drop my top
Mix and I mingle
Is everybody ready for the single and it goes...

[Chorus]
Ha La La La La
Now listen closely to the verse I lay
(Ha La La La La)
It's all about the wordplay
(Ha La La La Love)
The wonderful thing it does
Because, because
I am the wizard of ooh's and ah's and fa-la-la's
Yeah the Mister A to Z
They say I'm all about the wordplay

When it's time to get I'll I got your remedy
For those who don't remember me
Well let me introduce you to my style
I try to keep a jumble
And the lyrics never mumble
When the music's makin' people tongue-tied
You want a new song
Like a new religion
Music for the television
I can't do the long division
Someone do the math
For the people write me off like I'm a one-hit wonder
Gotta find another way to keep from goin' under
Pull out the stops
Got your attention
I guess it's time again for me to mention
The wordplay

[Chorus]

I built a bridge across the stream my consciousness
It always seems to be a flowin'
But I don't know which way my brain is goin'
Oh the ryhmin' and the timin'
Keeps the melodies inside me
And they're comin'
Till I'm running out of air
Are you prepared to take a dive into the deep end of my head
Are you listening to a single word I've said

[Chorus]
[Chorus]

Uh... see what I mean?

Now, to be fair, "Wordplay" was released back in 2005, so it's possible that Mr. Mraz may have learned how to cut back on the wack rhymes and giddy, goofball hypersyllablizing in the intervening years. To see if this is so, let's check out an excerpt from his new album, WE SING, WE DANCE, WE STEAL THINGS. The song is called "Dynamo of Volition" (he's ace with the titles, too!), and it goes a little like this over yonder:

I do not keep up with statistics
I do not sleep without a mistress
I do not eat unless it's fixed with
Some kind of sweet like a licorice
My home is deep inside the mystics
I'm known to keep diggin' on existence
I'm holdin' in the heat like a fishstick
And my phone it beeps because I missed it

Okay then. There you have it. The best use of "fishstick" in a lyric since DYLAN's basement-tape classic "The Ballad of the Burnt-Bottomed Fishstick Blues." (You know... the one with harmonica.)

So, honestly, I have no idea why I'm posting on Jason Mraz. Just a glutton for punishment, I guess. That, and the fact that -- despite its giddy, goofball, White Boy scat-rapping -- I was sort of charmed by 2003's "The Remedy (I Won't Worry)." (Did I mention that he's ace with the titles?). Despite my best efforts, I can't seem to resist that damn chorus. (Blame it on THE MATRIX.)

It's a shame, really. Mraz has an agile, attractive voice (NEIL SEDAKA meets FREDDIE MERCURY?), but the "wordplay" bites him in the ha-la-la-la ass every fa-la-la-la time. (Come to think of it, he's a little like a male version of NELLIE McKAY. Talented, but with a fatal case of The Cutesies.)

The new album, by the way, drops today.

JASON MRAZ on MySPACE.

From the LP WE SING, WE DANCE, WE STEAL THINGS, 2008 >>>
[MP3] "If It Kills Me"
[MP3] "Lucky" [w/COLBIE CAILLAT]

From the LP MR. A-Z, 2005 >>>
[MP3] "Life is Wonderful"

From the LP WAITING FOR MY ROCKET TO COME, 2002 >>>
[MP3] "The Remedy (I Won't Worry)"

MARTINA TOPLEY-BIRD

She worked with TRICKY. And now she's worked with DANGER MOUSE.

MARTINA TOPLEY-BIRD has herself a nice set of pipes, and the non-singing half of GNARLS BARKLEY certainly knows his way around a bassline & beat. The new album dropped yesterday in the UK. "Carnies" was the first single. "Shangri La" takes its time getting to Martina, but it may well be my favoritest of them all.

MARTINA TOPLEY-BIRD on MySPACE.

From the LP THE BLUE GOD, 2008 >>>
[MP3] "Carnies"
[MP3] "Shangri La"

From the LP QUIXOTIC, 2003 >>>
[MP3] "Anything"

ODDS 'N' SODS #13

[MP3] PULP/"Common People"

[MP3] THE SWEET SERENADES/"I Can Never Die"

[MP3] NEIL DIAMOND/"Pretty Amazing Grace"

[MP3] THE WEDDING PRESENT/"I Lost the Monkey"

[MP3] SCARLETT JOHANSSON/"I Don't Want to Grow Up"

[MP3] JOSEPH ARTHUR/"Radio Euphoria"

THE WHO - PART 3 (1981-2006)

THE WHO on WIKIPEDIA.

[MP3] "You Better You Bet" [1981]

[MP3] "Daily Records" [1981]

[MP3] "Eminence Front" [1982]

[MP3] "Why Did I Fall for That" [1982]

[MP3] "Real Good Looking Boy" [2004]

[MP3] "Black Widow's Eyes" [2006]

THE WHO - PART 2 (1969-1978)

This one takes us up through the end of KEITH MOON. The old-timers & the sticklers will insist that the band stops here (or should have). But I dunno. Still a few worthwhile songs on their '80s efforts, as we shall see/hear shortly....

THE WHO on WIKIPEDIA.

[MP3] "Pinball Wizard" [1969]

[MP3] "Go to the Mirror! [1969]

[MP3] "I'm Free" [1969]

[MP3] "Baba O'Riley" [1971]

[MP3] "Behind Blue Eyes" [1971]

[MP3] "Won't Get Fooled Again" [1971]

[MP3] "Love, Reign O'er Me" [1973]

[MP3] "Who Are You" [1978]

BEST OF APRIL 2008

Left-click [HERE] to download the April assortment.

Portal to previous monthly mixes [HERE].

APRIL 2008 TRACKLIST >>>

1 eels/old shit-new shit
2 kara keith/kick this city
3 cajun dance party/the race
4 santogold/say aha
5 the pigeon detectives/caught in your trap
6 the dresden dolls/ultima esperanza
7 de novo dahl/make some sense
8 jupiter one/turn up the radio
9 ladytron/i'm not scared
10 the courteeners/what took you so long
11 havana guns/i want to die
12 r.e.m./horse to water
13 james/of monsters and heroes and men
14 sandrine/let the love
15 the sweet serenades/first taste of trouble
16 phantom planet/leader
17 airfare/sugarcube
18 kara keith/get up and go go
19 weezer/pork and beans
20 my brightest diamond/bass player
21 hush the many (heed the few)/revolve
22 the indelicates/we hate the kids

THE LODGER

[Stop back by later today for the Best of April mix.]

THE LODGER is an indie-pop outfit from Leeds led by singer-songwriter BEN SIDDALL. Apparently determined to let no moss grow beneath their feet, they will be releasing their second album, LIFE IS SWEET, on May 19 -- less than a year after their oft-blogged-about debut.

Siddall's voice is one of those oh-so-familiar things; it had me wracking what's left of my memory for appropriate precedants. THE LIGHTNING SEEDS' IAN BROUDIE? TREMBLING BLUE STARS' ROBERT WRATTEN? ________'s ________ _______? I'll leave it to you to fill in your own blanks....

THE LODGER on MySPACE.

From the LP LIFE IS SWEET, 2008 >>>
[MP3] "Nothing Left (To Say)"
[MP3] "Hero's Welcome"

From the LP GROWN-UPS, 2007 >>>
[MP3] "Getting Special"
[MP3] "Watching"

GRANT-LEE PHILLIPS

I've been meaning to post on GRANT-LEE PHILLIPS for quite some time now. No particular reason why it has to be today, but why the hell not?

I'm going to go ahead and ignore his last two albums, which, frankly, were pretty damn dull. These other, older tunes are much more effective at showcasing his top-notch vox. Feel free to revel in them.

GRANT-LEE PHILLIPS on MySPACE.

[MP3] "Mona Lisa" [2004]

[MP3] "Dirty Secret" [2004]

[MP3] "Humankind" [2001]

[MP3] "Sadness Soot" [2001]

BONUS TRACK >>>

[MP3] GRANT LEE BUFFALO/"Truly, Truly" [1998]

ELLE MILANO

ELLE MILANO. More Britpop? But of course. With a nagging FALL OUT BOY influence, at times. (Though, to be fair, I don't really know what Fall Out Boy sound like. So this is what I imagine they would sound like if they were British and played Britpop.) A bit immature. But summer-like spring days were made for immature but eager-to-please indie pop like this. Which is to say: If the sun weren't shining today, I probably wouldn't be posting these....

ELLE MILANO on MySPACE.

From the LP ACRES OF DEAD SPACE CADETS, 2008 >>>
[MP3] "I Know It's Good But I'm Playing It Down"
[MP3] "Meanwhile in Hollywood..."

From the EP SWEARING'S FOR ART STUDENTS, 2006 >>>
[MP3] "Swearing's for Art Students"

ANNA TERNHEIM

And here I thought I'd gotten on board the ANNA TERNHEIM wagon/train early in the journey....

I discovered the song "To Be Gone" in February of 2006 and promptly plopped it on that month's "Best Of" mix. Now I find out that the song was actually released in 2004, so obviously I wasn't quite the Paul Revere of MP3 awareness-raising I'd thought I was.

Regardless, the tune remains an atmospheric dandy, and it's back again on Ternheim's first full-length American CD, HALFWAY TO FIVEPOINTS. I've read reviews that liken this twentysomething Swede's voice to BETH ORTON and JONI MITCHELL, and those comparisons seem apt to me. I also hear a lot of JANIS IAN on "To Be Gone," for those of you old enough to remember the "At Seventeen" singer-songwriter.

ANNA TERNHEIM on MySPACE.

[MP3] "To Be Gone"

[MP3] "Lovers Dream" [w/FYFE DANGERFIELD]

BONUS TRACK >>>

[MP3] "Bring Down Like I" [w/MAX PEEZAY]

THE WHO - PART 1 (1965-1968)

Yep, more Sunday-to-Monday stream-of-consciousness posting. This one, let's face it, was predictable....

For whatever reason, I got the bee-in-the-bonnet/ants-in-the-pants itch to immerse myself in THE WHO's discography on Saturday afternoon. While I consider myself reasonably knowledgeable about music, I must admit to having some rather alarmingly cavernous gaps in my education/experience. Thus, some years ago, I immersed myself in THE BEATLES' recorded output and learned that RUBBER SOUL and ABBEY ROAD were my two favorites of theirs. A year or so later, I pulled the same stunt with BOB DYLAN and learned that I'm much more about the songs than the albums when it comes to the Bobster, but that, in a pinch, I'd have to go with BLONDE ON BLONDE (or maybe BRINGING IT ALL BACK HOME, if I were afforded an additional pinch).

Which brings us to the Who. My favorite LP of theirs turned out to be an extremely easy choice: WHO'S NEXT. My favorite year for Who songs: 1966. Favorite Who song I'd never even heard before: "So Sad About Us." JOHN ENTWISTLE ditty I liked better than "Boris the Spider": "Doctor, Doctor." Song I vaguely remembered from my youth but hadn't thought about since my youth: "Eminence Front." General impression: Other than WHO'S NEXT, I didn't much care for the band's '70s efforts. QUADROPHENIA seems grossly overrated (TOMMY, too, when it comes down to it; guess I'm not a "rock opera" sort of guy).

So this begins a three-part series, with the others to follow in a week or so. Might as well start at the beginning....

[MP3] "I Can't Explain" [1965]

[MP3] "My Generation" [1965]

[MP3] "The Kids Are Alright" [1966]

[MP3] "Happy Jack" [1966]

[MP3] "Substitute" [1966]

[MP3] "I'm a Boy" [1966]

[MP3] "So Sad About Us" [1966]

[MP3] "Doctor, Doctor" [1967]

THE GUESS WHO

So I'm on iTUNES now. Have been for a couple months. Wasn't before because my old computer's operating system was too antiquated to support it. But now that I've essentially inherited my brother's computer: problem solved.

The other day I was sifting through his iTUNES library, lickity-split-erasing all traces of CREED, NICKELBACK, and THREE DOORS DOWN. Yes, it's sad-but-true: My brother had an unfortunate weakness for White Trash rock. It's probably what killed him. That, and years and years of beer....

Thankfully, my brother also had a soft spot for the more classic stuff. THE BEATLES, STONES, BOWIE, etc. And in clearing out his iTUNES library, I came upon one of his old favorites: THE GUESS WHO -- a Canadian band whose four albums from 1968-1970 spawned a rather impressive string of still-familiar hits. (As a kid, I would infuriate my brother by constantly confusing the Guess Who with THE WHO. "They're completely different bands!" he would shriek at me, occasionally refraining from punching me in the arm.)

So, without further ado, this one goes out to my brother STEVE. Rest easy, big fella.

[MP3] "These Eyes" [1968]

[MP3] "Undun" [1969]

[MP3] "Laughing" [1969]

[MP3] "American Woman" [1970]

[MP3] "No Time" [1970]

[MP3] "No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature" [1970]

[MP3] "Share the Land" [1970]

[MP3] "Hand Me Down World" [1970]

ODDS 'N' SODS #12

[MP3] HUSH THE MANY (HEED THE FEW)/"Revolve"

[MP3] ALIBI TOM/"Fire"

[MP3] LOW/"Monkey"

[MP3] THE WAVE PICTURES/"Strange Fruit or David"

[MP3] JUPITER ONE/"Turn Up the Radio"

[MP3] SARAH McLACHLAN/"Ice" [Dusted Mix]

JUST A NOTE...

Folks, just a note to let you know that I've been having major difficulties with my two main file-hosting sites -- BOXSTr and HotlinkFiles. Very frustrating, but I'll continue to do my best to get the tunes to you. BOXSTr's bandwidth is supposed to reset every 24 hours, so if you're unable to download a song at any given time, try again the following day. Or the day after that. You SHOULD meet with success. (Though, at this point, I'm not taking anything for granted....)

MUDCRUTCH

I reckon that those of you out there with even a sliver of interest in MUDCRUTCH already know the story behind these guys, so we'll be short-shrifting this a bit....

Seems that, before he started hanging around with HEARTBREAKERS and travelling with WILBURYS, TOM PETTY was a member of Mudcrutch. He sang and played bass. Future Heartbreakers MIKE CAMPBELL and BENMONT TENCH were members, too -- as were guitarist/singer TOM LEADON and drummer RANDALL MARSH. But things never quite worked out. They never even recorded an album.

Until now. Perhaps feeling nostalgic, Mr. Petty got the band back together, and they've gone ahead and recorded a self-titled LP -- some 35 years after their original break-up. "Better late than never," as the saying goes.

The songs below are for the guitar-lovers out there. The first is finger-pickin' good; the second is electric & dirty-sounding in all the right ways.

MUDCRUTCH on MySPACE.

[MP3] "Shady Grove"

[MP3] "Lover of the Bayou"