New CD Album Releases, 9-2-2008: Brian Wilson, New Kids on the Block, Chemical Brothers
The big enchilada this week is That Lucky Old Sun from Brian Wilson. Some of his post-Beach Boys work has been better than others, and I haven't heard this one yet. But the creator of the albums Pet Sounds, Brian Wilson, and Smile always bears at least a couple of listens. This also features his frequent longtime collaborator Van Dyke Parks.

For some reason the New Kids on the Block are back with a new album. Block is the first NKOTB album in 14 years. Now, you can't fault guys trying to make a living, and this name is what they've got to sell. The brand is set, and you can't very well change it now. But you youngsters coming up just take this as a point that putting words like "new" or "young" into your stage name is going to be awkward and goofy when you hit middle age and you're still trying to get a nut. NKOTB are mature artists now, I reckon. Perhaps the angst of aging past their boy band name has inspired great mature reflections.

The Recession is the third album from Atlanta MC Young Jeezy. He looks all serious on his cover, so I'm sure he's down with the hood and all that authentic stuff. I just don't recall ever hearing any memorable songs from him.

Music moment

Little Jackie - The World Should Revolve Around Me Lyrics

Wynter Gordon - Feel It Lyrics

Lauryn Hill - World Is A Hustle Lyrics

New Found Glory - Kiss Me Lyrics

Ciara - Common Denominator Lyrics

Sarah Geronimo - A Very Special Love Lyrics

Motion City Soundtrack - Fell In Love Without You Lyrics

Birdman - Some Come Up Lyrics

Gym Class Heroes - Cookie Jar Lyrics

Lights - Drive My Soul Lyrics

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Here's the listing of this week's new album releases, courtesy AMG:

Terrence Howard
Shine Through It
Columbia
Contemporary Singer/Songwriter, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock

New Kids on the Block
Block
Interscope
Urban, Dance-Pop

Brian Wilson
That Lucky Old Sun
Capitol
Pop/Rock

Young Jeezy
The Recession
Def Jam
Southern Rap, Gangsta Rap

Apollo Sunshine
Shall Noise Upon
Headless Heroes
Pop Underground, Neo-Psychedelia

John Baker
John Baker Tapes, Vol. 2: Soundtracks, Library, Home Recording, Electro Ads
Trunk
Television Music, Original Score, Electronic

Birdmonster
From the Mountain to the Sea
Fader Label
Alternative Pop/Rock, Indie Rock

Bone Thugs N Harmony/Layzie Bone/A.K./Do or Die
Finally
Siccness
Hardcore Rap, Urban

Broadfield Marchers
The Inevitable Continuing
Rainbow Quartz
Pop Underground

The Chemical Brothers
Brotherhood
Astralwerks
Big Beat, Funky Breaks, Electronica, Trip-Hop, House, Club/Dance, Left-Field House

Rodney Crowell
Sex and Gasoline
Work Song/Yep Roc
Contemporary Singer/Songwriter, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Folk-Rock

Dean & Britta
L' Avventura [Bonus Tracks]
Double Feature
Indie Pop

Lou Donaldson
Lou Takes Off
Blue Note
Hard Bop

Lila Downs
Shake Away
Manhattan
Mexican Folk, Latin Folk, Latin Rock, Contemporary Singer/Songwriter, Rock en Espanol, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Ranchera, Norteño, Cumbia, Funk

Juan Diego Florez
Bel Canto Spectacular
Decca
Italian Opera Arias

Giant Sand
Provisions
Yep Roc
Alternative Country-Rock, Americana

Eddie Henderson
Heritage
Blue Note
Jazz-Funk

Stephen Hough
Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1
Virgin Classics
Romantic Piano Concertos

Bobbi Humphrey
Fancy Dancer
Blue Note
Crossover Jazz, Jazz-Funk

Jefferson Starship
Jefferson's Tree of Liberty
Fuel 2000
Album Rock, Arena Rock, Pop/Rock, Hard Rock, Adult Contemporary

Donnie Klang
Just a Rolling Stone
Bad Boy
Club/Dance, Urban, Dance-Pop

Rafael Kubelik
Smetana: Ma vlast; Symphonic Poems
Deutsche Grammophon
Romantic Orchestral Music

Joe Lovano
Symphonica
Blue Note
Post-Bop

Miko
Parade
Plop
Indie Electronic, Electronica

Hank Mobley
Hank Mobley Quintet [Bonus Tracks]
Blue Note
Hard Bop

moe.
Dr. Stan's Prescription, Vol. 1
Fat Boy
Jam Bands, American Trad Rock, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock

J.R. Monterose
J.R. Monterose
Blue Note
Hard Bop

Olivia Newton-John and Friends
A Celebration in Song
Emi America
Adult Contemporary

Nightmares on Wax
Thought So...
Warp
Downbeat, Ambient Breakbeat, Trip-Hop, Electronica, Club/Dance

Orchestra Philharmonique de Strasbourg
Richard Strauss: Till Eulenspiegel; Don Juan [Hybrid SACD]
Pentatone Classics
Post-Romantic Orchestral Music

Original TV Soundtrack
Bones [Original TV Soundtrack]
Nettwerk
Original Score, TV Soundtracks

Jimmy Smith
Jimmy Smith Plays Fats Waller
Blue Note
Jazz Blues, Hard Bop, Soul-Jazz

The Smithereens
B-Sides the Beatles
Koch
Tribute Albums, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock

Southside Johnny/La Bamba's Big Band
Grapefruit Moon: The Songs of Tom Waits
Leroy
Bar Band, Rock & Roll, Heartland Rock, Album Rock

Jeremy Steig
Howlin' for Judy
Blue Note
Soul-Jazz, Jazz-Funk, Modern Creative

The Three Sounds
Elegant Soul
Blue Note
Soul-Jazz

The Three Sounds
Soul Symphony
Blue Note
Soul-Jazz

Unkle
End Titles...Stories for Film
Surrender All
Electronica, Ambient Breakbeat, Trip-Hop, Alternative Dance

Underoath
Lost in the Sound of Separation
Tooth & Nail
Post-Hardcore, Screamo, Christian Metal, Punk Metal

Various Artists
Messiaen: Garden of Love's Sleep
Deutsche Grammophon
Modern Orchestral, Choral and Chamber Music

TK Webb & the Visions
Ancestor
Kemado
Indie Rock, Hard Rock

Reuben Wilson
Set Us Free
Blue Note
Soul-Jazz, R&B
****************
BRIAN WILSON AND THE BEACH BOYS





BRIAN WILSON-BEACH BOYS PHOTOS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Sarah Palin Photo Gallery
Speaking as a dude for starters, I got to say that John McCain is the man. It would not have seemed likely, but he managed to pick a vice-president that's maybe even a little hotter than his wife Cindy.

Beyond that minor point though, Sarah Palin is a really interesting pick who will benefit him in about 100 different directions. Heck, I suspect that even the news of her teenage daughter's pregnancy will end up a positive for the ticket. Being a woman per se is a good programming move, but not particularly her top draw

Now, Sarah Palin has one significant weak point: She has almost no experience in military or foreign affairs. That knocks one or two points off the bigger experience argument that is McCain's #1 point on Obama. But to re-iterate the obvious point, she has as much military experience as Obama - and she's at #2 where she can get a good education under McCain's wing.

To some extent, McCain went for talent, character and temperment more than the longest resume. But I'd like to see what Joe Biden, for example, has actually accomplished to the good in his decades in Washington that would be equivalent to what Mrs Palin has done in her relatively brief time as governor. Spiking that stupid bridge project alone looks like more proof of the pudding than anything that Biden or Obama has done. Experience is not just that you warmed a big seat for a long time. It's what you've actually done besides just showing up.

But other than that, she's arguably more qualified for the job resume wise than Obama. She's had real jobs and life experience like he hasn't. She's been involved with running a business, and doing real physical labor. She's actually got some substantial executive experience as mayor and governor - which is more than can be said of the other three major party candidates on the ballot. But still, I hope the Democrats attack the vice-presidential candidate for supposedly not being as qualified as the top of their ticket. Do they really think that's a winning argument for them?

Beyond that general idea of experience though, she's absolutely the perfect answer to Obama in multiple directions. First, even without explicitly stating the point, Sarah and Trig Palin are the perfect contrast to Obama's position as the most extreme pro-abortion politician in the nation. You get the woman who chose to bear and raise a Down baby versus the guy who can't even bring himself to vote to protect the live born babies who survive late term abortions. Now the Republicans don't even need to attack Obama on his pro-infanticide history. They don't have to get their hands dirty, cause the argument pretty much makes itself.

But the best point of Palin is her unimpeachable record as a plain talking reformer. She got her own state party chair busted for ethics violations. She personally spiked the damned Bridge to Nowhere. She's the bane of the corruption of the Alaska Republican establishment.

This really perfectly contrasts to Obama's record and underscores the utterly fake nature of his pretenses at representing "change" and clean politics. Obama's not even from Chicago, but CHOSE that infamous cesspool of corrupt machine politics as the place to make his name, and has never in the least little way confronted or rebuked that machinery. The cheesiest Alaska Republicans are but a butt pimple on the corruption of Chicago Democrats.

One more broad point, the pure realness of Sarah Palin is the perfect contrast to the pretensions of Obama. She's a real huntin, shooting professional fisherman/union wife/PTA mom who surely has some faults somewhere (for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God), but is unmistakably genuine right down to her toes. This versus the empty suit that is Obama, and his struggles to make his white middle class upbringing come out sounding like he's from the hood. His whole life is a (boring)identity crisis.

Really though, I don't know that I have a whole lot of unique perspective on this suddenly very famous woman. My main point here is to log in my new Sarah Palin photo gallery. I've got 200+ images of Sarah Palin et al. Even just a minute studying on the images from the first page will give you some idea of what kind of gal we're getting ready to have as our first female in the White House.


SARAH PALIN PHOTOS 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50

New CD Album Releases, 8-26-2008: Little Feat, The Game, Eva Cassidy
In a weak week of new releases, Little Feat looks about the best. This is still a hot band, but they pretty well ended as a major creative entity with the death of key songwriter Lowell George decades ago. Join the Band has new recordings of Feat classics, backed by a lot of groovy cats showcasing mostly classic George compositions. For a band that I don't remember as being particularly commercially prominent, I note that this album is currently #7 at Amazon.

Now, new recordings of their 30 year old songs aren't going to make you forget the original classic recordings with Lowell George. This wouldn't be particularly the best place to start a neophyte Feat fan. That would of course be Waiting for Columbus. But with their guests, some of this comes off maybe just different enough (mostly in a countrified direction) to make it worthwhile for the serious Feat fetishist. Most particularly, Brooks & Dunn give "Willin" a good country flavoring which could reasonably be a hit in those quarters. Other prominent guests include Emmylou Harris, Jimmy Buffett, Bob Seger, Brad Paisley, Vince Gill and Chris Robinson.

The Game (Jayceon Taylor) is back with LAX, his third album. I've never heard anything from him that sounds like a real song, but he's pretty good cause he's from the streets and he's hardcore and cusses a lot and gets belligerent and such. He's an artist who'll surely be around for a long time.

Eva Cassidy became well known as something of a macabre gimmick act, the gimmick being that she's dead. That's not a criticism of her at all, but her pretty good though not particularly exceptional Songbird album got wide acclaim two years after her youthful passing. Ten years later, this week we get Somewhere. This includes Gershwin's "Summertime" and songs by Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson among others.

Hot tracks

Pink - So What Lyrics

Dierks Bentley - Sweet & Wild Lyrics

Jessica Simpson - Remember That Lyrics

Raconteurs - Many Shades Of Black Lyrics

Sarah Geronimo - Very Special Love Lyrics

The Living End - White Noise Lyrics

Demi Lovato - Get Back Lyrics

Jason Mraz - Lucky Lyrics

The Ting Tings - That's Not My Name Lyrics

John Legend - If You're Out There Lyrics

Free song list for your blog here.

Here's the listing of this week's new album releases, courtesy AMG:

The Game
LAX
Geffen
West Coast Rap, Gangsta Rap

Solange
Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams
Geffen
Urban, Neo-Soul

Matthew Sweet
Sunshine Lies
Shout! Factory
Pop Underground, Alternative Pop/Rock, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Power Pop

The Verve
Forth
RED
Space Rock, Shoegaze, Alternative Pop/Rock, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Britpop, Dream Pop

Alias
Resurgam
Anticon
Left-Field Hip-Hop

Kenny Barron
The Traveler
Sunnyside
Mainstream Jazz, Post-Bop

blink.
The Epidemic of Ideas
Thirsty Ear
Avant-Garde Jazz, Modern Free

Blues Traveler
North Hollywood Shootout [Bonus Track]
Verve Forecast
Jam Bands, American Trad Rock, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock

Eva Cassidy
Somewhere
Blix Street
Contemporary Singer/Songwriter, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock

Chanticleer
Mission Road [CD+DVD]
Warner Classics & Jazz
Spanish Missionary Choral Music

Cordero
De Donde Eres
Bloodshot
Indie Rock, Latin Rock

Delta Spirit
Ode to Sunshine
Rounder
Alternative Country-Rock, Indie Rock

Derailers
Guaranteed to Satisfy
Palo Duro
Alternative Country, Country-Rock, Bakersfield Sound

Simone Dinnerstein
The Berlin Concert
Telarc
Baroque, Romantic & Contemporary Piano Music

Gabe Dixon Band
The Gabe Dixon Band
Fantasy
Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Contemporary Singer/Songwriter

Dragonforce
Ultra Beatdown
Roadrunner
Power Metal, Heavy Metal, Neo-Classical Metal

George Duke
Dukey Treats
Heads Up
Neo-Soul, Contemporary R&B, Fusion, Jazz-Funk, Urban, Funk

Scott Dunn
Absolutely Historical
Warner Bros. Nashville
Standup Comedy

Sonny Geraci
Greatest Hits: Precious and Few
Fuel 2000
Garage Rock, Psychedelic Pop, Pop

JJ Grey & Mofro
Orange Blossoms
Alligator
Contemporary Blues, Southern Rock, Roots Rock

Yehuda Hanani
Jamestown Concerto: American Music for Cello & Orchestra
Naxos
Modern American Music for Cello & Orchestra

Jan & Dean
The Complete Liberty Singles
Collector's Choice
Surf, Hot Rod, Pop

Lil' Ed & the Blues Imperials
Full Tilt
Alligator
Modern Electric Chicago Blues, Modern Electric Blues

Little Feat
Join the Band
Proper
Album Rock, Southern Rock, Rock & Roll, Boogie Rock

Machine Head
The Blackening
Roadrunner
Alternative Metal, Heavy Metal, Industrial Metal, Speed Metal, Death Metal/Black Metal

Bob Mintzer Big Band
Swing Out
MCG Jazz
Modern Big Band, Post-Bop

The Moody Blues
Live at the Isle of Wight 1970
Eagle
British Psychedelia, Album Rock, Pop/Rock, British Invasion, Prog-Rock/Art Rock, Psychedelic Pop, Soft Rock

Motorhead
Motorizer
Steamhammer
Heavy Metal, Hard Rock

Mott the Hoople
Old Records Never Die: The Mott the Hoople/Ian Hunter Anthology
Shout! Factory
Album Rock, Hard Rock, Glam Rock, Rock & Roll

Jeffrey Reynolds
The Big Trombone & Sterling Brass
Crystal
Renaissance, Baroque, Modern & Contemporary Chamber Music

Antoni Wit
Mieczyslaw Karlowicz: Symphonic Poems, Vol. 1
Naxos
Modern Orchestral Music

Danilo Perez/Claus Ogerman
Across the Crystal Sea
Verve
Contemporary Jazz, Post-Bop, Latin Jazz

Primary 5
High Five
Neon Tetra
Pop Underground, Indie Pop, Alternative Pop/Rock

Jeff Simmons
Lucille Has Messed My Mind Up [Bonus Track]
Collector's Choice
Prog-Rock/Art Rock, Hard Rock

Slipknot
All Hope Is Gone
Roadrunner
Alternative Metal, Heavy Metal

Tesla
Gold
Geffen
Pop-Metal, Hair Metal, Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Album Rock

Three Dog Night
Greatest Hits Live
Shout! Factory
AM Pop, Pop/Rock

Thriving Ivory
Thriving Ivory [Wind-Up]
Wind-Up
Indie Rock, New Wave/Post-Punk Revival

V.I.C.
Beast
Reprise/Wea
Southern Rap

The Week That Was
The Week That Was
Memphis Industries
Indie Rock, Indie Pop

New CD Album Releases, 8-19-2008: David Byrne, Glen Campbell, Ice Cube
Big Love: Hymnal is David Byrne's instrumental score to the second season of the HBO show Big Love, along with some new Byrne songs - his first since 2004. "I had an idea to base my scoring loosely on Mormon hymns. That would presumably hint at the unspoken spiritual underpinnings that motivate many of the characters' actions - or justify them, in some characters' cases. I got hymnals and Mormon Hymns CDs, read up on the Mormon Church and began to practice writing 'fake' hymns."

Coming from David Byrne, this might be interesting - though you'd generally obviously prefer actual religious music rather than an academic approach to any idea of gospel music.

Meet Glen Campbell seems like an odd title for a new album somewhere near 50 years into a career. He's working with modern pop songs, including Tom Petty's under appreciated classic "Walls." Not that it will make you forget Bono, but from the samples, "All I Want Is You" sounds most interesting. It gets at a different flavor from U2 with Campbell's classic production sound, with the folksy picking and string arrangement.

Raw Footage is the newest joint by Ice Cube. As one of the original Niggas With Attitude, his musical act has mostly been noteworthy for his scary Negro shtick, which you can see in the typically cartoonish cover photo. In fairness though, he's had a couple of worthwhile songs out of maybe a dozen and a half albums. "It Was a Good Day" was actually worthwhile. But I'm hearing nothing hear that sounds like any kind of real song.

Hottest tracks

Kings of Leon - Sex On Fire Lyrics

Red Jumpsuit Apparatus - Facedown Lyrics

Rihanna - Umbrella Lyrics

Yung Berg - Put It On Me Lyrics

Jonas Brothers - Sorry Lyrics

Jonas Brothers - Video Girl Lyrics

Jonas Brothers - Can't Have You Lyrics

James Morrison - You Make Me Real Lyrics

Brooke Hogan - Thnku4lettinmebmahself Lyrics

Chris Brown - No Air Lyrics

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Here's the listing of this week's new album releases, courtesy AMG:

Glen Campbell
Meet Glen Campbell
Capitol
Country, Easy Listening

The Fiery Furnaces
Remember
Thrill Jockey
Indie Rock

Juliana Hatfield
How to Walk Away
Ye Olde
Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock

Staind
Illusion of Progress
Atlantic
Alternative Metal, Heavy Metal

Stereolab
Chemical Chords
4AD
Indie Pop, Ambient Pop, Experimental Rock, Indie Rock, Post-Rock/Experimental, Alternative Pop/Rock, Indie Electronic

The Stills
Oceans Will Rise
Arts & Crafts
Indie Rock, Post-Rock/Experimental

The Academy Is...
Fast Times at Barrington High
Fueled by Ramen
Alternative Pop/Rock, Emo

Arabian Prince
Innovative Life: The Anthology 1984-1989
Stones Throw
West Coast Rap, Electro, Hip-Hop, Old-School Rap

John Bean
The Real Leroy Mercer
Dualtone
Prank Calls, Country Comedy

Anthony Braxton
Beyond Quantum
Tzadik
Free Improvisation, Avant-Garde Jazz, Free Jazz

Timothy Brown
Palestrina: Missa "Assumpta est Maria"; Magnificat Septimi Toni; Motets
EMI Classics
Renaissance Choral Music

Peter Bruns
Charles-Marie Widor, Louis Vierne: Cello Sonatas
Haenssler Classics
Post-Romantic Chamber Music

David Byrne
Big Love: Hymnal
Todo Mundo/HBO/Play Tone
Television Music, TV Soundtracks

Caesars
Strawberry Weed
EMI/Astralwerks
Swedish Pop/Rock, Garage Punk

Joe Chambers
New World
Porter
Post-Bop

The Dandy Warhols
...Earth to the Dandy Warhols...
Beat the World
Alternative Pop/Rock, Pop Underground

Death Vessel
Nothing Is Precious Enough for Us
Sub Pop
Country-Folk, Indie Pop

Don Caballero
Punkgasm
Relapse
Math Rock, Indie Rock, Post-Rock/Experimental

The Duhks
Fast Paced World
Sugar Hill
Progressive Bluegrass

Mathias Eick
The Door
ECM
Modern Creative, Post-Bop

Donavon Frankenreiter
Pass It Around
Lost Highway
Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, American Trad Rock

GZA
Pro Tools
Babygrande
East Coast Rap, Hardcore Rap

Goo Goo Dolls
Greatest Hits, Vol. 2
Warner Bros.
Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock, Post-Grunge, Hard Rock, Pop/Rock

Jeff Hanson
Madam Owl
Kill Rock Stars
Indie Pop, Chamber Pop

Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians
Element of Light
Rhino
College Rock, Neo-Psychedelia, Jangle Pop, Folk-Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock, Rock & Roll

Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians
Fegmania!
Rhino
College Rock, Neo-Psychedelia, Jangle Pop, Folk-Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock

Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians
Gotta Let This Hen Out!
Rhino
College Rock, Neo-Psychedelia, Jangle Pop, Folk-Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock, Rock & Roll

Robyn Hitchcock
Luminous Groove
Yep Roc
College Rock, Neo-Psychedelia, Jangle Pop, Alternative Pop/Rock, Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Folk-Rock

Hot Club of Cowtown
The Best of the Hot Club of Cowtown
Shout! Factory
Retro Swing, Western Swing Revival

Hotel Lights
Firecracker People
Bar/None
Adult Alternative Pop/Rock

Ice Cube
Raw Footage
Lench Mob
West Coast Rap, Hardcore Rap, Gangsta Rap

Jaguar Love
Take Me to the Sea
Matador
Indie Rock

George Jones
Burning Your Playhouse Down: The Unreleased Duets
Vanguard
Honky Tonk, Traditional Country

Karina
First Love
Def Jam
Urban, Teen Pop

Lagwagon
I Think My Older Brother Used to Listen
Fat Wreck Chord
Skatepunk, Punk Revival, Punk-Pop

Lindstrøm
Where You Go I Go Too
Smalltown Supersound
Ambient Techno, Techno

Lykke Li
Youth Novels
LL
Indie Pop, Indie Electronic, Swedish Pop/Rock

The Manhattans
Sweet Talking Soul 1965-1990
Shout! Factory
Smooth Soul, Quiet Storm, Philly Soul, Soul, Urban, Pop-Soul

Laura Marling
Alas I Cannot Swim
Virgin
Alternative Singer/Songwriter

Music Tapes
Music Tapes for Clouds and Tornadoes
Merge
Indie Rock, Lo-Fi

Jennifer O'Connor
Here with Me
Matador
Indie Rock

Andrew Russo
Mix Tape
Allegro
Contemporary Piano Arrangements

Ragna Schirmer
Joseph Haydn Revisited
Berlin Classics
Classical Music for Keyboard

Outrageous Cherry
Wide Awake in the Spirit World: The Best of Outrageous Cherry
Wicked Cool
Indie Pop, Pop Underground, Alternative Pop/Rock, Neo-Psychedelia, Indie Rock

Aaron Parks
Invisible Cinema
Blue Note
Post-Bop, Modern Creative

John Pizzarelli
With a Song in My Heart
Telarc
Vocal Jazz, Standards

Pram
The Moving Frontier
Domino
Experimental Rock, Post-Rock/Experimental, Dream Pop, Alternative Pop/Rock

Ra Ra Riot
The Rhumb Line
Barsuk
Indie Rock, Chamber Pop

The Royal We
The Royal We
Domino
Indie Pop

Xavier Rudd
Dark Shades of Blue
Anti
Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Aussie Rock, Contemporary Singer/Songwriter, Urban Folk

Wanda de Sah
Brasil '65/Softly!
DRG
Bossa Nova, Samba, Latin Pop, Lounge

Shwayze
Shwayze
Geffen
Pop-Rap

Starling Electric
Clouded Staircase
Bar/None
Chamber Pop, Neo-Psychedelia, Indie Rock

Vassilis Tsitsanis
Rembetika 3: Vassilis Tsitsanis 1936-1940
JSP
Greek Folk, Rembetika

The Uglysuit
The Uglysuit
Quarterstick
Indie Rock, Indie Pop

Gary Usher
Barefoot Adventure: The 4 Star Sessions 1962-66
Sundazed
Surf, Hot Rod, Instrumental Rock

Various Artists
Total 9
Kompakt
Club/Dance, Techno, House

Loudon Wainwright III
Recovery
Yep Roc
Singer/Songwriter

The Walkmen
You & Me
Gigantic
Indie Rock

St Paul's United Methodist Church and garden in Rushville Indiana
I attended Sunday services at St Paul's United Methodist Church in Rushville, Indiana on August 17, 2008. This was my first time specifically attending a Methodist church. By my lights, this was a fairly mellow and restrained service all around, which is about what I would expect from Methodists. There was fellowship and praising the Lord, but not a lot of high emoting. Numerous congregants made a point of talking to me, but they weren't carrying on like they're "on fire for the Lord" or such - which is just as well by me.

Pastor Nan Chizmar was on vacation, so we had a sermon instead by Randy Stewart. I would characterize his sermon as more of a Sunday school lesson rather than preaching. Saying it differently, his talk on the book of Ruth and the meaning of redemption was more intellectual than emotional. A lot of very good sermons are stemwinders that are about mood altering, working up a congregation with little real meaning if you looked at the words on paper. Brother Stewart was more trying to actually say something about the idea of redemption, based on the story of Ruth.

All in all it was a nice service, but my main reason for attending this particular church was their garden. I spend a lot of time hiking around Rushville, and I've come to spend a lot of time in the garden between the church and their school. It's a good place to stop for a rest, and has become my favorite meditation spot. I've spent a good many hours this summer sitting in this garden at the foot of the cross, and trying to think how to act. The middle of August is a little past the fullest prime of the garden, but it's still quite lovely, as you can see by THESE PICTURES.

New CD Album Releases, 8-12-02008: Jonas Brothers, Beer for My Horses soundtrack, David Sanborn
A Little Bit Longer is the third album from the Jonas Brothers. Nick Jonas, Joe Jonas and Kevin Jonas are the hottest boy band in America in 2008. So far though, as an actual adult fan of music, I haven't heard anything much noteworthy. This is generic pop rock for little 'tween girls.

But they do seem like fine young Christian men. Good luck to fellows in their position in staying true to the purity rings they've been known to wear, indicating a commitment not to have premarital sex. This is at least better than the ugly rutting sounds of, say, Pretty Ricky.

Beer for My Horses is the soundtrack album for a new movie starring and co-written by Toby Keith. It's purportedly a comedy about a couple of goofy deputy sheriff's taking on a drug dealer. This movie features the acting talents and soundtrack contributions of Ted Nugent, David Allan Coe and Willie Nelson.

Here & Gone is the 23rd David Sanborn album. Among others, this album features playing from Eric Clapton, Sam Moore and Joss Stone.

chart toppers

Kings of Leon - Sex On Fire Lyrics

Cassie - Nobody But You Lyrics

Taylor Swift - Change Lyrics

Chris Brown - Dreamer Lyrics

Ne-Yo - Miss Independent Lyrics

Jordin Sparks - Tattoo Lyrics

Jonas Brothers - Bb Good Lyrics

All Time Low - Remembering Sunday Lyrics

Red Jumpsuit Apparatus - Facedown Lyrics

Cassie - My House Lyrics

Get tools for your blog here.

Here's the listing of this week's new album releases, courtesy AMG:

Jonas Brothers
A Little Bit Longer
Hollywood
Pop/Rock, Teen Pop

Janelle Monae
Metropolis: The Chase Suite [Special Edition]
Bad Boy
Alternative Pop/Rock

Bigelf
Cheat the Gallows
Custard
Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Prog-Rock/Art Rock

Bo Diddley
Road Runner: The Chess Masters 1959-1960
Hip-O Select
Rock & Roll, R&B, Electric Chicago Blues

The Dufay Collective
The Play of Daniel
Harmonia Mundi
Renaissance Vocal Music

The East Village Opera Company
Olde School
Decca
Classical Pop, Classical Crossover, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock

The Final Solution
Brotherman
Numero
Blaxploitation, Chicago Soul, Original Score, Soul, Funk

David Geringas
Peteris Vasks: Gramata cellam; Partita; Episodi e canto perpetuo
Haenssler Classics
Contemporary Chamber Music

Zach Hill
Astrological Straits
Ipecac
Noise-Rock, Indie Rock, Experimental Rock, Progressive Metal, Guitar Virtuoso, Neo-Psychedelia

Dave Hollister
20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection
Hip-O
Urban, Contemporary R&B

Jason & the Scorchers
The EMI Years
Acadia
College Rock, Heartland Rock, Cowpunk, Roots Rock, Country-Rock, Rock & Roll, Americana

Jefferson Airplane
Bark/Long John Silver
Acadia
Album Rock, Hard Rock, Acid Rock, Rock & Roll, Psychedelic

Wilhelm Kempff
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3; Haydn: Symphony No. 94 "Surprise"
Audite
Classical and Romantic Orchestral Music

New Kids on the Block
Greatest Hits [Bonus Tracks]
Sony
Teen Pop, Urban, Dance-Pop

James O'Donnell
Francisco Guerrero: Missa Sancta et immaculata
Hyperion UK
Renaissance Choral Music

Original Soundtrack
Beer for My Horses
Show Dog Nashville
Outlaw Country, Contemporary Country

Original Soundtrack
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Sony Classical
Original Score, Soundtracks

The Pack A.D.
Funeral Mixtape
Mint
Indie Rock, Garage Rock Revival, Punk Blues, Blues-Rock

Inara George/Van Dyke Parks
An Invitation
Everloving
Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Vocal Jazz

Rosebuds
Discoballs: A Tribute to Pink Floyd
Collectors' Choice Music
Club/Dance, Disco

S.M.V.
Thunder
Heads Up
Smooth Jazz, Crossover Jazz

David Sanborn
Here & Gone
Decca
Smooth Jazz, Crossover Jazz, Contemporary Jazz

Angus & Julia Stone
A Book Like This
Capitol
Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Indie Pop

Irma Thomas
Simply Grand
Rounder
New Orleans R&B, Soul, Louisiana Blues

Various Artists
The Complete Motown Singles, Vol. 10: 1970
Hip-O Select
Smooth Soul, Motown, Funk, Soul

Various Artists
Portland Cello Project
Portland Cello Project
Arrangements for Cello Ensemble

Leon Ware
Moon Ride
Stax
Smooth Soul, Quiet Storm, Adult Contemporary, Urban

Ben Weaver
The Ax in the Oak
Bloodshot
Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Indie Rock

Yung Berg
Look What You Made Me
Koch/Epic
Pop-Rap, Hardcore Rap

New CD Album Releases, 8-5-2008: Randy Newman, Born Again Floozies, Carla Bruni
Harps and Angels is the first pop album release from Randy Newman in near a decade. He's obviously a major talent in a half dozen directions as a pop songwriter, composer for Broadway stage and screen, and as a major student of New Orleans piano styles.

Newman first put out the song "A Few Words in Defense of Our Country" in 2006. VIEW It definitely shows his unique ambiguous satire. The intent is almost straightforward as he defends even our supposed worst government against most others in the world.

I'm particularly stoked by the sample of "A Piece of the Pie." That's catchy and jumpin' and six kinds of freaky. "Korean Parents" also sounds intriguing.

Protest the whoredom of the Born Again Floozies all you want, but they have the will to power, and they can't be stopped. This week they've released a new single "We Got the Power." I note the little tip o' the hat to Neil Young's guitar sound in the middle of this, which leads me to note that actually Joey Welch is a better and more interesting guitar player than Neil Young. GET THE SONG

I've got no idea whether Carla Bruni has any more talent than for filling a bikini, but that's a start. Comme Si de Rien N'Etait is her first new album since marrying Nicolas Sarkozy and thus becoming first lady of France.

Music news

Ne-Yo - Closer Lyrics

Estelle - American Boy Lyrics

Timbaland - Apologize Lyrics

Rihanna - Umbrella Lyrics

Adele - Hometown Glory Lyrics

T.I. - Whatever You Like Lyrics

All Time Low - Poppin' Champagne Lyrics

Ludacris - What Them Girls Like Lyrics

Solange Knowles - Fuck The Industry Lyrics

Girlicious - Still In Love Lyrics

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Here's the listing of this week's new album releases, courtesy AMG:

Hawthorne Heights
Fragile Future
Victory
Emo, Punk-Pop

Randy Newman
Harps and Angels
Nonesuch
Pop/Rock, Singer/Songwriter, Pop

Conor Oberst
Conor Oberst
Merge
Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Indie Rock

Keith Anderson
C'mon!
RCA
Contemporary Country

Hoyt Axton
Southbound/Fearless
Raven
Soft Rock, Singer/Songwriter, Country-Rock

The Laurie Berkner Band
Rocketship Run
Two Tomatoes
Sing-Along, Educational

Lewis Black
Anticipation
Comedy Central
Political Comedy, Standup Comedy

Art Blakey & Giants of Jazz
Live at the Monterey Jazz Festival 1972
Monterey Jazz Fest
Hard Bop

Blue October
Argue with a Tree...
Universal/Brando
Alternative Pop/Rock, Post-Grunge, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock

Jim Boggia
Misadventures in Stereo
Bluhammock
Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Pop Underground

Michael Borgstede
Handel: Suite de pieces pour le Clavecin
Brilliant Classics
Baroque Keyboard Music

Brazilian Girls
New York City
Verve
Downtempo, Downbeat, Club/Dance, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock

Dave Brubeck
50 Years of Dave Brubeck: Live at the Monterey Jazz Festival 1958-2007
Monterey Jazz Fest
Cool, West Coast Jazz

Carla Bruni
Comme Si de Rien N'Etait
Downtown
Contemporary Singer/Songwriter, French Pop

City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra
The Six Star Wars Films: New Recordings of the Classic Scores
Silva Screen
Contemporary Film Music

Clinic
Funf
Domino
Indie Rock, New Wave/Post-Punk Revival, Alternative Pop/Rock

The Faint
Fasciinatiion
Blank.Wav
New Wave/Post-Punk Revival, Indie Rock

Lefty Frizzell
Steppin' Out: Gonna Shake This Shack Tonight
Bear Family
Honky Tonk, Traditional Country

Mike Gordon
The Green Sparrow
Rounder
Adult Alternative Pop/Rock

Shirley Horn
Live at the Monterey Jazz Festival 1994
Monterey Jazz Fest
Vocal Jazz, Traditional Pop, Standards, Ballads

Ida
My Fair, My Dark EP
Polyvinyl
Indie Pop, Americana, Contemporary Folk

Jamey Johnson
That Lonesome Song
Mercury
Contemporary Country

KeAnthony
A Hustlaz Story
Reprise
Contemporary R&B, Urban

Lil' Dap
I-A-Dap
Babygrande
Underground Rap, East Coast Rap

Lloyd
Lessons in Love
The Inc/Universal Motown
Urban

The Lord Dog Bird
The Lord Dog Bird
Jagjaguwar
Indie Rock, Lo-Fi, Alternative Singer/Songwriter

Mars Black
Stay Black
Team Love
Midwest Rap, Hip-Hop

Shannon McArdle
Summer of the Whore
Bar/None
Indie Rock

Jimmy McCracklin
The Mercury Recordings
Bear Family
West Coast Blues, Piano Blues, Soul-Blues, R&B

Sarah McLachlan
Fumbling Towards Ecstasy [CD/DVD] [Bonus CD]
Sony Legacy
Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Folk-Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock, Pop/Rock, Adult Contemporary

Norma Jean
The Anti Mother
Tooth & Nail
Post-Hardcore, Alternative Metal

Paul Oakenfold
Forever
Warner Music TV
Progressive Trance, Trance, House, Club/Dance, Acid House

Oneida
Preteen Weaponry
Jagjaguwar/Brah
Experimental Rock, Noise-Rock, Post-Rock/Experimental

Thomas Sanderling
Alberic Magnard: Complete Symphonies
Brilliant Classics
Romantic Music for Orchestra

Otto Sauter
The Trumpet in Salzburg
Brilliant Classics
Music for Trumpet and Orchestra

Andras Schiff
Bartok: Piano Concertos Nos. 1-3
Warner Classics
Modern Works for Piano and Orchestra

Original Soundtrack
Pineapple Express
Lakeshore
Roots Reggae, Film Music, Gangsta Rap, Soundtracks, Pop/Rock, Rock & Roll, Hip-Hop

Original Soundtrack
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Vol. 2 [Original Soundtrack]
Warner Bros.
Film Music, Soundtracks, Original Score

Original Soundtrack
Tropic Thunder [Original Soundtrack]
Lakeshore
Album Rock, Film Music, Soundtracks, Hard Rock, Blues-Rock, Rock & Roll, Hip-Hop, R&B

Buck Owens
Act Naturally: The Buck Owens Recordings 1953-1964
Bear Family
Bakersfield Sound, Honky Tonk, Traditional Country

Oxford Collapse
Bits
Sub Pop
Indie Rock

Elvis Presley
The Complete '68 Comeback Special: 40th Anniversary Edition
RCA
Pop/Rock, Rock & Roll, Pop

The Prodigy
Experience: Expanded
XL
Rave, Club/Dance

Carrie Rodriguez
She Ain't Me
Manhattan/EMI
Americana, Alternative Folk, Country-Folk, Alternative Country-Rock

Dave Stewart
The Dave Stewart Songbook, Vol. 1
Ada/Surfdog
Pop/Rock, Prog-Rock/Art Rock

Cal Tjader
The Best of Cal Tjader: Live at the Monterey Jazz Festival 1958-1980
Monterey Jazz Fest
Afro-Cuban Jazz, West Coast Jazz, Latin Jazz, Cool, Mood Music, Brazilian Jazz

David Vandervelde
Waiting for the Sunrise
Secretly Canadian
American Trad Rock, Alternative Singer/Songwriter
****************************************
RANDY NEWMAN PHOTO GALLERY
Randy Newman Images, page 1 2 3 4 5 6

Randy Newman Images, page 1 2 3 4 5 6

New CD Album Releases, 7-29-2008: Alice Cooper, Steve Cropper/Felix Cavaliere, Rick Springfield
Most likely new pick to take a flyer on this week is definitely Nudge It Up a Notch by Steve Cropper and Felix Cavaliere. In the short version, Cropper was Stax A&R chief, MG and Blues Brothers stalwart and co-author of "Knock on Wood" "In the Midnight Hour" and "DOCK OF THE FRICKIN' BAY." So when he comes up with a new album, it might be worth a listen. He's teamed here with Felix Cavaliere. As the main man of the Rascals, he's no slouch either. Little bits that I've heard so far demand further investigation.

Admittedly, Alice Cooper is a good 20 years past his sell-by date, but I'm still interested in his new Along Came a Spider. Call it sentimentality on my part. On the other hand, in his day he's been the author of "The Ballad of Dwight Frye" and "Only Women Bleed" - among many other classics. Good old everlovin' Slash plays on this record, so that's to the good. It's apparently something of a concept album about a serial killer who is obssessed with spiders. Bonus points for old-school Alice fans: he's brought back his poor nightmare having manchild character Steven.

For a pretty boy off a cheesy soap opera, Rick Springfield has actually turned out to have a surprisingly credible musical career. I'll just say that for middle aged gals who were buying his records as teenagers, at this vantage point he's probably one of the least embarassing pop boy icons of them good old days of yore.

Fresh news

All Time Low - Remembering Sunday Lyrics

Carrie Underwood - Just A Dream Lyrics

Ludacris - Put On Lyrics

Michael Jackson - Beat It Lyrics

Warren G - Crush Lyrics

Rihanna - Umbrella Lyrics

Ne-Yo - Miss Independent Lyrics

Taylor Swift - Invisible Lyrics

Colby O'Donis - What You Got Lyrics

Paramore - Misery Business Lyrics

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Here's the listing of this week's new album releases, courtesy AMG:

Alice Cooper
Along Came a Spider
Steamhammer
Heavy Metal, Hard Rock

Steve Cropper/Felix Cavaliere
Nudge It Up a Notch
Stax
Retro-Soul

Rick Springfield
Venus in Overdrive
New Door
Pop/Rock

Sugarland
Love on the Inside
Mercury Nashville
Contemporary Country, Country-Folk, Country-Rock

Daniel Barenboim
Schubert: Grand Duo; Variations; Marches militaires
Warner Classics
Romantic Music for Piano Duo

Willie Bobo
Bobo Motion [Remastered]
Verve
Boogaloo, Latin Jazz, Salsa, Latin Folk

The Bug
London Zoo
Ninja Tune
Illbient, Dancehall, Experimental

George Carlin
It's Bad for Ya
Laugh.Com
Observational Humor, Standup Comedy

Cephas & Wiggins
Richmond Blues
Smithsonian/Folkways
Modern Acoustic Blues, Acoustic Blues, Folk-Blues, Piedmont Blues

Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper
Leaving Town
Rounder
Bluegrass

Colours
Love Heals: The Complete Recordings
Cherry Red
Psychedelic, Psychedelic Pop

Maynard Ferguson
Maynard Ferguson Octet [Remastered]
Verve
Crossover Jazz, Hard Bop, Bop

Fine Arts Quartet
Four American Quartets
Naxos
Modern and Contemporary Chamber Music

Michael Finnissy
Chris Newman: Piano Sonatas
Mode
Contemporary Piano Music

Eddie Floyd
Eddie Loves You So
Stax
Soul, Memphis Soul, Deep Soul, Southern Soul

Johnny Flynn
A Larum
Lost Highway/Vertigo
Contemporary Singer/Songwriter, British Folk

Dizzy Gillespie
The Cool World [Remastered]
Verve
Afro-Cuban Jazz, Bop

Neil Halstead
Oh! Mighty Engine
Brushfire
Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Indie Pop

Richie Havens
Nobody Left to Crown
Polydor
Folk-Rock, Singer/Songwriter

Milt Jackson
At the Museum of Modern Art [Remastered]
Verve
Hard Bop

James Judd
John Antill: Corroboree; An Outback Overture
Naxos
Modern Ballet and Orchestral Music

The Kingston Trio
Turning Like Forever: Rarities, Vol. 2
Collectors' Choice Music
Folk Revival, Folk-Pop, Traditional Folk

Little Richard
The Very Best of Little Richard [Specialty]
Specialty
Rock & Roll, R&B, New Orleans R&B

Matt Pryor
Confidence Man
Vagrant
Contemporary Singer/Songwriter, Americana

Tony Rice
Night Flyer: The Singer Songwriter Collection
Rounder
Traditional Bluegrass, Progressive Bluegrass, New Acoustic

Rusty Truck
Luck's Changing Lanes
Rykodisc
Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Post-Grunge

Scars on Broadway
Scars on Broadway
Interscope
Alternative Metal, Progressive Metal

Soulfly
Conquer
Roadrunner
Death Metal/Black Metal, Alternative Metal, Heavy Metal, Rap-Metal

The Terrible Twos
Jerzy the Giant
Vagrant
Children's Folk, Sing-Along

James Jackson Toth
Waiting in Vain
Rykodisc
Neo-Traditional Folk, Alternative Country, Indie Rock

Various Artists
Rock The Net: Musicians For Network Neutrality
Thirsty Ear
Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Contemporary Singer/Songwriter, Experimental Rock, Indie Rock

Andre Williams & the New Orleans Hellhounds
Can You Deal with It?
Bloodshot
Soul-Blues

Hawksley Workman
Los Manlicious
Island Def Jam
Adult Alternative Pop/Rock

New CD Album Releases, 7-22-2008: Miley Cyrus, Nine Inch Nails, Black Sabbath box, U2 re-issues
Not a lot exciting in the range of new music. Probably the best bet in the big leagues is Breakout. This is the first Miley Cyrus album under her own name, rather than alter ego Hannah Montana. I'll confess that I dug "See You Again." So maybe there'll be something groovy here as well.

It appears that Trent Reznor at this point keeps a mic around and eats beans. Give the beans a couple of hours, turn on that mic, and an hour later - voila! That would explain, for starters, the multiple CDs of Ghosts, which along with the Year Zero set make this the fourth Nine Inch Nails CD of this year. I've never been much impressed with any of his songs. Plus, he bears culpability for bringing the idiotic Marilyn Manson to prominence.

But after hearing Johnny Cash sing "Hurt," I've had to give him at least some grudging respect. Another good thing though, he's happy to give the album away for free download, though the physical release also contains a bonus DVD. You can DOWNLOAD The Slip for free from the official band website.

Listening to The Slip, I'm figuring it's worth about what I paid for it. This is basic formulaic industrial rock. "Industrial" rock means basically that it's heavy and mechanistic, largely lacking in the nuance of human performance. Put differently, this is the opposite of funky. Plus, there are no noteworthy melodies or catchy hooks of any kind. Did I mention that this dude sponsored Marilyn Manson?

I'm not real big on standup comedy albums, for starters because mostly even pretty good ones you wouldn't want to listen to more than once. But if there's a comic working today to whom I might give multiple listens, it would be Christopher Titus. His newest preversion of all things decent is Norman Rockwell Is Bleeding.

Top of the re-issues this week is U2. Their first three albums, Boy, October and War are out in special two disc editions with bonus songs and demos and re-mastering personally overseen by the Edge. Obviously, this was the beginning of a legend, so you can't very well go wrong here. War is probably the best one album they ever made.


The Rules of Hell is a five CD Rhino edition Black Sabbath box set. It contains the entire output of the Ronnie James Dio led version, from 1980 - 1992. This includes the albums Heaven and Hell (1980), Mob Rules (1981), Live Evil (1982 -two CDs), and Dehumanizer (1992).

Something for the ears

Boys Like Girls - HeroHeroine Lyrics

Trey Songz - Murder She Wrote Lyrics

Eminem - Shots Fired Lyrics

Britney Spears - ATM Lyrics

Katy Perry - Thinking of You Lyrics

Coldplay - Lost Lyrics

Akon - Right Now Lyrics

Red Jumpsuit Apparatus - Facedown Lyrics

Taylor Swift - Invisible Lyrics

Donnie Klang - Satisfied Lyrics

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Here's the listing of this week's new album releases, courtesy AMG:

Black Kids
Partie Traumatic
Ag/Columbia
New Wave/Post-Punk Revival, Indie Rock

David Bowie
Live in Santa Monica '72
EMI
Pop/Rock, Glam Rock, Album Rock, Hard Rock, Experimental Rock, Prog-Rock/Art Rock, Proto-Punk

CSS
Donkey
Sub Pop
Indie Electronic, Indie Rock

Miley Cyrus
Breakout
Disney
Teen Pop, Dance-Pop

Nine Inch Nails
The Slip
Null Corporation
Industrial Metal, Alternative Metal, Industrial, Alternative Pop/Rock

U2
Boy [Deluxe Edition]
Island/Interscope/Universal
College Rock, Album Rock, Post-Punk, Pop/Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock

Paul Weller
22 Dreams
Island
British Trad Rock, Pop/Rock, Singer/Songwriter

The Avett Brothers
The Gleam II
Ramseur
Progressive Folk, Alternative Folk, Progressive Country, Alternative Country

Black Sabbath
The Rules of Hell
Rhino/Warner Bros.
Album Rock, Heavy Metal

Bodies of Water
A Certain Feeling
Secretly Canadian
Indie Pop

Buffalo Killers
Let It Ride
Alive
Indie Rock, Neo-Psychedelia

Burning Spear
The Best of Burning Spear [VCT]
Virgin
Political Reggae, Roots Reggae

Candlebox
Into the Sun
Silent Majority
Alternative Pop/Rock, Post-Grunge

Broken Social Scene Presents Brendan Canning
Something for All of Us...
Arts & Crafts
Indie Rock, Post-Rock/Experimental

Eliza Carthy
Dreams of Breathing Underwater
Topic
Contemporary Folk, British Folk, Contemporary Singer/Songwriter

Gloria Cheng
Piano Music of Salonen, Stucky & Lutoslawski
Telarc
Modern and Contemporary Piano Music

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Deja Vu Live
Reprise/Wea
Pop/Rock, Folk-Rock, Singer/Songwriter

Chris Difford
The Last Temptation of Chris
Airline/Stiff
Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Singer/Songwriter

Dr. Dog
Fate
Park the Van
Pop Underground, Indie Rock, Indie Pop

Gustavo Dudamel
Fiesta
Deutsche Grammophon
Modern and Contemporary Orchestral Music

Trevor Dunn
Four Films
Tzadik
Experimental Rock, Original Score, Film Music, Soundtracks

Helena Espvall/Masaki Batoh
Helena Espvall & Masaki Batoh
Drag City
Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Neo-Psychedelia, Indie Rock

Faun Fables
A Table Forgotten
Drag City
Acid Folk, Neo-Traditional Folk, Indie Rock, Folk-Rock, Goth Rock

¡Forward, Russia!
Life Processes
Cooking Vinyl
Indie Rock

Noel Gourdin
After My Time
Epic
Contemporary R&B, Neo-Soul

Antony Gray
Brahms: Late Piano Works
ABC Classics
Romantic Piano Music

Buddy Guy
Skin Deep
Silvertone/Zomba
Modern Electric Chicago Blues, Electric Chicago Blues, Chicago Blues, Modern Electric Blues

Hell Rell
Black Mask Black Gloves
Babygrande
East Coast Rap

High Places
03/07 - 09/07
Thrill Jockey
Indie Electronic, Indie Pop

Benji Hughes
A Love Extreme
New West
Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Indie Pop

Janis Ian
Best of Janis Ian: The Autobiography Collection
Cooking Vinyl
Contemporary Folk, Folk-Rock, Singer/Songwriter

Individuals
Fields/Aqua Marine
Bar/None
Power Pop, New Wave, Jangle Pop

Syleena Johnson
I Am Your Woman: The Best of Syleena Johnson
Sony Legacy
Neo-Soul, Contemporary R&B, Urban

Angelika Kirchlager
My Heart Alone: Favorite Opera Arias and Duets
Sony Classical
Romantic, Post-Romantic and Modern Opera Arias

Shannon Lee
Introducing Shannon Lee
Telarc
Baroque, Romantic, Post-Romantic and Modern Violin Music

Jon Peter Lewis
Break the Silence
Cockaroo/Adrenaline
Pop Idol, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock

Low vs Diamond
Low vs Diamond
Epic/Red
Indie Rock

Mars
Mars LP
No More
No Wave

Maria Muldaur
Yes We Can!
Telarc
Folk-Blues, Acoustic Blues, Jazz Blues

One Day as a Lion
One Day as a Lion
Anti
Rap-Metal, Alternative Metal, Post-Hardcore

Original Soundtrack
The Rocker
Columbia
Film Music, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Hair Metal, Soundtracks, Heavy Metal

Pacific!
Reveries
Pacific/Dolores
Indie Electronic, Swedish Pop/Rock, Indie Pop

Stephen Pearcy
Under My Skin
Airline
Hard Rock

Pepper
Pink Crustaceans and Good Vibrations
Law
Alternative Pop/Rock, Third Wave Ska Revival, Contemporary Reggae, Punk-Pop

The Rumble Strips
Girls and Weather
Universal/Island
Indie Rock

Bon Scott
Early Years 1967-1972
See for Miles
Hard Rock, Acid Rock, Pub Rock, Psychedelic

Shaggy
The Best of Shaggy
Virgin
Ragga, Club/Dance, Dancehall, Contemporary Reggae, Reggae-Pop

Christopher Titus
Norman Rockwell Is Bleeding
Comedy Central
Standup Comedy, Observational Humor

Peter Tosh
Best of Peter Tosh [VCT]
Virgin
Political Reggae, Roots Reggae

Ike Turner
Classic Early Sides 1952-1957
JSP
R&B, Jump Blues, Electric Blues

U2
October [Deluxe Edition]
Island/Interscope/Universal
College Rock, Album Rock, Post-Punk, Pop/Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock

U2
War [Deluxe Edition]
Island/Interscope/Universal
College Rock, Album Rock, Pop/Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock, Post-Punk

Various Artists
Bluegrass: Independent Label Sides 1951-1954
JSP
Bluegrass, String Bands

***********************
MILEY CYRUS IS HANNAH MONTANA

For starters, I'm obviously a racist. You can tell it because I used B Hussein Obama's middle name. That's pretty much evidence enough in some quarters. But if pronouncing his whole legal name is racist, then what about this image from The New Yorker and cartoonist Barry Blitt?

First, that's a beautiful image. Mr Blitt boiled a whole bunch of impressions, misimpressions, suspicions, blind internet rumors and just all round crazy conspiratorial nonsense into one beautifully detailed image. I just love how many layers of meaning come out of this one image, all the ways it was intended vs how it will be purposely or accidentially misinterpreted by others.

For starters, the basic intent of the magazine and cartoonist is fairly obvious and clear, and just as they will explain it if you ask: They are satirizing and mocking right wing and conspiracy nut types for their ridiculous and unfounded harsh opinions about Michelle and Barack Hussein Obama.

That's pretty straightforward. Pretty much everyone seems to get that point, but some good liberals still object, on grounds that maybe the hicks won't get that they're being mocked and take it at face value. In short, we're smart enough to understand, but this image is bad because the hicks might not be hip enough to get it.

Then there's the Obama campaign, which gets to pretend at being hurt. Spokesman Bill Burton said in a statement: "The New Yorker may think, as one of their staff explained to us, that their cover is a satirical lampoon of the caricature Sen. Obama's right-wing critics have tried to create. But most readers will see it as tasteless and offensive. And we agree."

John McCain had to get in on clucking his tongue a bit as well. McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds said: "We completely agree with the Obama campaign, it’s tasteless and offensive." But then, McCain's people have probably the most legitimate excuse for wanting to go out of their way to not be associated with any of this.

All of the offended parties get the joke, but then so do most of us red state crackers. I haven't seen any indication that anyone did not get the satirical intent of the damn picture.

But what's interesting to me in all this is how this image seems to substantially innoculate the Obamas from a lot of serious and in some cases totally appropriate criticism or skepticism. Anyone who has concerns or objections to the Obamas that could even be broadly characterized to fit within that caricature of racist rightwing paranoia is, well, a dirty rightwing racist.

Consider to that end the image of Barack dressed as a Muslim. Obviously Barack Obama is not a practicing Muslim. He's an avowed Christian, whatever you may think of the pastor that brought him into the fold. You're pretty much of an idiot if you insist on thinking that he's a super secret Muslim, or took his oath as senator on a Koran. Shut up already, damn.

But then there are lots of perfectly reasonable and relevant concerns and uncertainty about Barack Obama's religious beliefs. Does he believe in American exceptionalism, as do most people, or what. He's got close Muslim relatives, and apparently spent at least a little time in mosque growing up - not that there's anything wrong with that.

But how much does he really believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ? With his Muslim background and non-believing left wing intellectual mom and his elitist Ivy League degrees, he mostly comes across as an aloof sophisticated multicultural secularist carefully mixing in some half-assed extremely watered down black preacher shtick for the boobs. After all, religion is something that poor dumb misguided bitter voters cling to, as he famously said in the San Francisco "bitter" remarks. For better or worse, you know that Dubya really does believe in Jesus - but does Barack really believe that Jesus rose from the dead?

Does Barack really believe in Christ, or is he a secular Ivy League multiculturalist who would view Islam as an equally valid and beautiful cultural expression? Answers to questions like that seem quite valid and relevant to me, things that might well would impact how I might vote. I would NOT be inclined to look favorably on a US presidential candidate who would see such equivalence. This of course makes ME the goat, one of them there racist conspiracy mongering nutjobs like they made fun of on that famous cover of The New Yorker. (Do you remember The New Yorker? This is a story about The New Yorker.)

See how that works? All kinds of perfectly reasonable questions and objections get bunched together in disrepute, all package-dealed into ridicule with the most ridiculous possible uninformed opinion that sounds the least bit like it.

Likewise, I'm sure that Michelle Obama has never literally burned a US flag. But she sure does manage to come off sounding pretty anti-American at times, with complaints about America being "mean" and only ever being proud of America as an adult when they began voting for her husband for president. I don't know that those comments from the missus would be a major determinant of my vote, but those harsh words for her countrymen do weigh a point or two against Barack for choosing a person with such views as his soulmate. This of course makes me equivalently ridiculous as those dumb rednecks they satirized at The New Yorker who insist that Michelle is burning flags and such.

Plus, there's the stupid people who think the Obamas are black radicals, who think Michelle Obama is some Angela Davis character, like depicted in The New Yorker. Man are they dumb. That presumably includes particularly everyone who for some crazy no doubt dishonest reason want to hold Obama's association with Weather Underground founder Bill Ayers against him. So here I am, the goat again. (Hey, that could be my epitaph.)

Ah well, might as go all the way:

IS BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA THE ANTI-CHRIST? Enquiring bitter minds want to know!

NPR feels the big little people's pain
Alright, granted that I'm a rightwing nutjob, so perhaps I'm just taking things all wrong. Nonetheless, this stupid little NPR story is getting on my last little nerve.

It's the sad story of an Ohio family facing hard 2008 economic times. "Nunez and most of her siblings and their spouses are unemployed and rely on government assistance and food stamps. Some have part-time jobs, but working is made more difficult with no car or public transportation." The current national unemployment rate is only 5.5% - but really, how can people be expected to get transportation and go to work if the government doesn't give them cars or at least sufficient mass transit. Plus, the guvment needs to provide me with an alarm clock, or else how would I know to get out of bed?

But the thing that almost got my goat was the business about their grocery shopping. See, the money's tight and now they can't afford decent groceries. No meat. However, then there's a picture of a couple of these women - but they're not starving. Now, the good Lord knows I'd be the last person to mock someone for their weight. Weak metabolism is a bitch.

The real poo-licking thing though is the last sentence of the story, reconciling the incongruence of their big waists with their complaints of poverty. "So they cut back on expensive items like meat, and they don't buy extras like ice cream anymore. Instead, they eat a lot of starches like potatoes and noodles."

See, they're big and fat because the guvment won't give them enough food stamps (in addition to subsidized housing) to buy good food, so all they can do is bloat on cheap starches. Somebody needs to drink a big ol' glass of shut the hell up. To make the obvious point, for the same money as yucky potatoes and noodles, you could just as well be thriving on much more nutritious beans and rice, with some simple cheap end of fruits and vegetables. How expensive are bananas and carrots?

Stephanie Lenz vs Universal Music Publishing Group
A mom named Stephanie Lenz is my newest hero. In February, she posted a little 30 second home video for family and friends to YouTube of her toddler son learning to walk with Prince's "Let's Go Crazy" blaring in the background. Universal Music Publishing Group sent her a cease and desist letter demanding that she pull down her little home movie.

But David responded to the corporate Goliath with resistance, and a lawsuit. Ms Lenz refused to be intimidated by the suits, and is getting support from the Electronic Frontier Foundation. She wants not only to be allowed to show her blurry bitty little home movie to family, but for the copyright cartels to consider possible copyright violations on a case by case basis for whether any particular usage might be allowable fair use before they go slinging threats and lawsuits.

Apparently, Universal lawyers are arguing that it would be too much burden on copyright holders to consider each individual use. They apparently believe that it's only fair to shotgun threats and sic lawyers on anybody with any wisp of a use of copyright material, and expect housewives to pay for lawyers to justify their home movies.

If these corporate thugs put half as much energy into making better products and creative marketing as what they put into intimidating schoolkids and housewives, maybe the recording industry wouldn't be so totally in the dumpster.

DVD Review: TV Funhouse
In a long and distinguished career, Robert Smigel has been among other things a writer for Saturday Night Live and Conan O'Brien. This includes creating the immortal Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog and the Saturday TV Funhouse cartoon shorts on SNL.

Those cartoon shorts provided the basis for the short lived Comedy Central series TV Funhouse, which aired a total of eight episode in 2000 and 2001. These have now been released on DVD.

I caught a couple of these at the time, and thought them fairly amusing. They're actually considerably more impressive now, watching them all carefully on DVD. They really filled out and expanded the idea a lot from the SNL shorts - without using any of the SNL characters, best I remember. For one thing, they didn't use The Ambiguously Gay Duo - the most popular SNL creation.

There's really a lot of thoughtful writing meat on these faux kiddie show bones. They get stuff working in multiple simultaneous directions. I particularly liked the faux-50s educational film on "Overcoming Bowel Movements." It's got a lot of clever details as a parody of the educational film style. But it's also an ideas-level critique of supposed moral concerns involved in telling kids not to masturbate. They argue quite colorfully and imaginatively that telling people to deny or feel ashamed of the biological urge to masturbate is about as dumb and untenable as telling people to resist defecating.

The basic setup of the series had the relatively subtly perverse human host Doug showing up in costume for some theme of the day, only to find himself abandoned by the Anipals puppets, off for their own depraved debaucheries in Tijuana or Atlantic City. Special credit for creative perversion goes to the "Christmas cheer" episode. Turns out that "Christmas cheer" (which of course the Anipals lacked) was a drug, a chemical that they could get from the host's spinal fluid, which they boiled down to a powder and snorted. Doug's willingness to repeatedly subject himself to pain and abuse for the Anipals benefit was probably the strongest direct manifestation of his perversion.

Probably the best episodes were the Safari Day and Astronauts day episodes which the Anipals spent in Atlantic City. Robert Goulet was priceless as drinking buddy and wise confidant to the Anipals, trying to warn Chickie off of falling in love with a chimpstitute.

This also includes a great guest starring role for Triumph, the most near to character development I've seen for him. Plus, he has a great song about humping an "Underage Bichon." There's more excellent Triumph action in bonus features, especially his contribution to a Rob Reiner roast.

Perhaps partly this show didn't take off because a fair amount of it went over people's heads, even with the constant poo jokes and such. But also, the show was really dark in tone - far darker than the Simpsons or even South Park, the obvious points of comparison. Might have just been too evil for most people to watch. Watching eight episodes of this back to back was almost too dark even for me - but it sure was funny.

Harry Shearer's supposed gotcha video on Laura Ingraham
So Harry Shearer came up with a nine minute compilation of maybe 30 or 40 bits of Laura Ingraham between takes and show prep on her short-lived Fox News show Just In. He posted this video on his MyDamnChannel website as if it were apparently funny. Apparently this was supposed to be embarassing or some type of cause for ridicule. Shearer doesn't say much about it, but some Boston Herald bloggers describe it as a "meltdown."

Having watched the video though, this seems pretty clearly to be purely a wishful expression of malice from ol' Monty Burns for someone whose viewpoint he doesn't like. I watched for nine plus minutes, waiting for the melting down, yelling and cussing and having some kind of fit.

But there's nothing anywhere on the tape remotely like that. Even with the magic of editing to get just the most inflammatory few seconds from many hours of production time, there's no flame. She doesn't raise her voice at any time. There's no yelling, cussing, nothing like that.

Everything in the video looked like she was behaving totally professionally. She was obviously frustrated in parts with stuff being screwed up that she needed to do the show. Shouldn't she be? Perhaps some of y'all of more tender sensibilities could enlighten me as to what it was she did in this tape that was inappropriate.

New CD Album Releases, 7-15-2008: Passing Strange cast album, Randy Travis, John Mellencamp, Dark Knight soundtrack
The big deal this week for cool folks comes from the most distinguished composer Stew, The Negro Problem incarnate - and now a Tony award winning Broadway composer and star. The original Broadway cast recording of Passing Strange is out this week. Did I mention that Stew won a Tony for this musical, and was nominated for six others? Spike Lee is filming the show for some kind of movie presentation.

It is an autobiographical tale of the young middle-class boho tripping across Europe. There are fairly many artsy pop music styles here, but early on I'm particularly taken with "We Just Had Sex." It's some kind of light samba or mambo or such, a very catchy and carefully non-chalant by-the-way about how it's no big deal that the characters have just had three way sex.

Brother Stew is one of the greatest songwriters working today. If you don't know Stew, you don't know jack. Download "The Big Game", one of his best songs for free.

Also, here are a couple more outstanding recent Stew songs:
DOWNLOAD: Pastry Shop An excellent melody informing a particularly good and understated anti-war sentiment
DOWNLOAD: Black Men Ski An outstanding arty pop song

Randy Travis has Around the Bend. That voice is as good as ever. He makes a nice, light fiddle hoedown out of "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright." Hearing his delivery here made me notice what a surprisingly nimble and bouncy touch he can get out of that deep voice.

Life Death Love and Freedom is the newest from our Hoosier hometown hero John Mellencamp. Love the homeboy, but the Little Bastard really hasn't written a song that anyone really needs to hear in at least a decade. The fading of talent isn't so awful. He wrote "Lonely Ol' Night" and "Love and Happiness" if he never wrote another song. But even as one of his biggest fans, I get more disgusted by the year with his increasingly dishonest self-righteous malice in dumb crap like this slanderous "Jena" song.

The less interesting his tunesmithing gets, the more supposedly profound his lyrics become, and the more pronounced his need to establish his cheap sense of righteous superiority over his neighbors. Nothing I'm hearing on this album does anything to change that outlook.

Listen to these songs

John Mayer - Say Lyrics

Ne-Yo - Closer Lyrics

Avenged Sevenfold - Almost Easy Lyrics

Jennifer Hudson - Spotlight Lyrics

Lifehouse - Everything Lyrics

Sean Kingston - Beautiful Girls Lyrics

Timbaland - Apologize Lyrics

Coldplay - Death And All His Friends Lyrics

Demi Lovato - That's How You Know Lyrics

Metro Station - Control Lyrics

More blog tools found here.

Here's the listing of this week's new album releases, courtesy AMG:

David Banner
The Greatest Story Ever Told
SRC/Universal Motown
Dirty South, Southern Rap, Hardcore Rap, Gangsta Rap

Dirty Pretty Things
Romance at Short Notice
Mercury
Indie Rock

The Hold Steady
Stay Positive
Vagrant
Indie Rock, American Trad Rock, Rock & Roll

Nas
Nas
Def Jam
Political Rap, Hardcore Rap, East Coast Rap, Hip-Hop

Claudio Abbado
Marches and Dances
Deutsche Grammophon
Marches and Dances for Orchestra

Bajofondo
Mar Dulce
Vibra
Electronica, Tango

Don Braden
Gentle Storm
Highnote
Post-Bop, Modern Creative

Daedelus
Love to Make Music To
Ninja Tune
Indie Electronic, Experimental Techno

Foreigner
No End in Sight: The Very Best of Foreigner
Atlantic/Rhino
Album Rock, Arena Rock, Pop/Rock, Hard Rock

Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons
The Motown Years
Hip-O Select
Pop, Doo Wop

Delta Goodrem
Delta
Decca
Adult Alternative Pop/Rock

Gossip
Rework It
Backyard
Indie Rock, Garage Punk, Lo-Fi

The Grascals
Keep on Walkin'
Rounder
Contemporary Bluegrass, Progressive Bluegrass

Honeybus
Story
Deram
Psychedelic Pop, British Psychedelia

The Imagined Village
The Imagined Village
Real World
Neo-Traditional Folk, Alternative Folk, Worldbeat

Jet Black Stare
In This Life
Island
Post-Grunge, Hard Rock

Gunar Letzbor
Wenzel Ludwig Edler von Radolt: Viennese Lute Concertos
Challenge Classics
Baroque Music for Lute and Ensemble

John Mellencamp
Life Death Love and Freedom
Hear Music
Pop/Rock, Roots Rock

The Music
Strength in Numbers
Polydor
Indie Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock

Trio Wanderer
Messiaen: Quatuor pour la fin du Temps
Harmonia Mundi
Modern Chamber Music

Original Soundtrack
American Teen
Almost Gold
Soundtracks, Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Contemporary Singer/Songwriter, Singer/Songwriter

Original Soundtrack
The Dark Knight [#1]
Warner Bros.
Original Score, Soundtracks

Original Broadway Cast
Passing Strange [Original Broadway Cast]
Ghostlight
Musicals, Cast Recordings

Rehab
Graffiti the World [Universal Republic]
Universal Republic
Southern Rap, Rap-Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock

Randy Travis
Around the Bend
Warner Bros.
Contemporary Country

Twilight Sad
Here, It Never Snowed. Afterwards It Did
Fat Cat
Indie Rock

Unkle
End Titles: Stories for Film
Surrender All
Electronica, Ambient Breakbeat, Trip-Hop, Alternative Dance

Various Artists
From the Valleys: The Best of the Welsh Choirs
ABC Classics
Welsh Choral Music

Cedar Walton
Seasoned Wood
Highnote
Post-Bop

Wild Beasts
Limbo, Panto
Domino
Indie Rock

Ace Young
Ace Young
Pazzo/Fontana
Dance-Pop, Pop Idol, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Club/Dance
-----------------------------
Randy Travis

Wall-E: The wicked scare tactics of a cute robot
Wall-E is an ugly movie on multiple levels. It is literally ugly to look at. It is ugly in it's philosophical vision, and it's worse than ugly in the heavy handed way that it seeks to propagandize young children through fear.

But first things first. Wall-E is a cute but very lonesome animated robot, an intergalactic trash compactor all alone on Earth on a centuries long cleanup project with only a cockroach for company. Who wouldn't root for poor rusty, plucky Wall-E? There's a very nice love story with new arrival Eve.

The animators are obviously good students of ol' Walt Disney and the way he could anthropomorphize anything. There's a great deal of skill in the very human and highly emotionally communicative expressions of the robot couple. This jumped out particularly at the point where an injured and repaired Wall-E temporarily lost his human soul, and acted momentarily as only a robot.

But the cute robots are just there to suck little children in to be manipulated and frightened by this increasingly ugly apocalyptic environmental religion. The evil Buy n Large corporation has utterly destroyed and abandoned Earth, covered in an endless thick nasty sea of trash. (To which piles we can add the marketing detritus from this movie, such as the cheap rubber watches handed out to young movie goers at the theater - or literally billions of other pieces of similar Disney junk. Not to worry: Wall-E will be around to clean them up in a few hundred years.)

For starters, this premise makes the movie largely visually ugly to look at on a basic aesthetic level. The Earth half of the movie is set in a trash dump, carefully engineered to be particularly unappealing - even for a trash heap. You're not scaring the kids properly with the threat of ruin if you make their trash dump Earth look like a fun place to play. Plus, rather than cute bunnies and squirrels, Wall-E's only companion is a cockroach. Yuck.

But the huge floating permanent vacation cruise spaceship on which all the humans have been living for 700 years is truly a far uglier vision of hell. They have little robot cleaning agents keeping things antiseptically clean, but any normal person would rather die than live in the kind of ugly sterility portrayed here.

Then you get to the really ugly part - the actual "humans" in the ship. They're all tooling around on floating motorized Barcoloungers. It wouldn't even occur to any of these grotesquely fat sacks of mindless consumer appetite to walk even a few steps. Besides being a grotesquely misanthropic slander of our species, the trash-Earth, sterile spaceship and most especially the hideous excuses for humans are highly unpleasant. Is this really a vision fit for impressionable young children?

One might reasonably be offended by the ridiculous slander against, basically, American capitalism. In this version, it's nothing but a stupid and shortsighted corporation. They are the only government around. Without some Al Gore running things, naturally the people have no more sight or gumption than to destroy the Earth and their own bodies through sloth and mindless consumption. This is truly one of the ugliest and most contemptible images of humanity that you could conjure up. I would certainly rather be represented by the regular cheesy leftwing images of evil, bloody imperialism.

Just in passing, note what a complete disconnect there is between Wall-E versus any kind of real capitalist American behavior. For one thing, it's not Americans doing the prime trashing of the planet. Rich Americans and Europeans have been at some pains to clean things up and preserve their homes and property - partly because being wealthy means they can afford to. It's not rich Americans and Europeans doing most of the trashing. To the extent that the planet is getting abused, it's mostly third world dictators and their desperate, starving subjects.

Also, why would the greedy Buy n Large corporation rescue and maintain these useless consumer pods? These "humans" do nothing but consume. They're leeches on the corporation as presented here. Capitalism is about producing and creating so that you will be able to consume. There's nothing like that in the world of Wall-E. The ship seems to be nothing but a giant floating welfare state.

But enough about their cheesy ideology. I don't much care about cheap messages in art. Overlook that. A pretty good percentage of children's programming in particular is loaded up with cheap feel-good multicultural it's-a-small-world-after-all crapola. Yeah, yeah.

I suppose I risk looking like a narrow-minded fuddy-duddy, unable to appreciate art because of some reactionary anti-environmental ideology or such like. Fine, take these comments as you will. But my objection is NOT primarily about having a "liberal" message. I'm mostly content to appreciate the good in a piece of art, and trust people to think through things for themselves.

But I do object to manipulating children through fright for any stupid ideology, purposely rooting unnecessary fear to fester down in their young souls. I don't much appreciate when evangelical yahoos go scaring six year old children with stories about hellfire and brimstone. It's bogus and wicked when some Pentecostal schmuck scares little kids out of their wits with threats of hellfire - and it's no nicer when the Disney Corp puts out apocalyptic nonsense like this.

Altamont nostalgia at Hollywood Loser
A capture from a police video on the evening news? Knife wielding maniac on a rampage!

Nope, it's just Al Barger, fashion model. I'm modeling an Altamont t-shirt from Brother Alexander and his Hollywood Loser fashion line. He got interested in advertising with me because he digs my section on the famous Rolling Stones Altamont concert, and of course the infamous knifing death of young Meredith Hunter at the hands of the Hell's Angels. Heller party. This image of the Woodstock dove with a knife through appeals to every Eric Cartman lovin, hippy hatin' bone of my body.

I'm just saying that one of these Altamont t-shirts would make a great gift for any dirty hippy what you nonetheless have to try to be friends with. Also good for the all-round knife wielding maniac on your Christmas list. Next year will be the 40 year anniversary of the official end-of-the-sixties party, the Altamont Festival. Get ahead of the nostalgia curve.

Jump over and buy a damned t-shirt. Don't make me come looking for you.