Vs.

Journey "Separate ways" from patsevc on Vimeo.

Play them both at once for extra cheese. Via Waxy.

There's always the discussion about the worst Christmas song (my money is still on "Dominick the Donkey"), but what is the worst song ever?

Well, here it is, the worst song -- or rather, the most unwanted song, as determined by the polling artsters (or arty pollsters?) Komar & Melamid. The folks at MeFi love it, though. Maybe you will too.

Check out the Mikiphone, "probably the smallest gramophone ever placed on the market, folded up to the size of a large pocket watch or a small cheese case."

More pictures here. Check out the Gipsy too.

Kilroy Was Here was the first cassette I ever bought, on the first date I ever had. Since this was Radnor in the early 80s, the date was a trip to the King of Prussia mall. Since we were in 7th grade, our parents drove us there. Also her best friend came. And I wore a really dorky hat.

Was it Sam Goody's or some other record store? I don't remember. But Sue Mao bought a tape of Kilroy Was Here, and so did her best friend Jen, and so of course I did too.

I thought the whole "concept album" was incredibly awesome. The whole thing told a story! There were tiny pictures in the liner notes that looked like stills from a movie. (I hadn't seen MTV yet.)

So how does the album hold up? It is incredibly cheesy. And not a cheese that ages well over several decades. Nostalgia helps but can't slice through the bombasticity of the cheese.

And then it occurs to me just what will bring this album back: anime. This would make the perfect soundtrack for an anime film. I mean it has revolution! Robots! A big brother preacher named Dr. Righteous! Styx, if you're out there, you need to pitch this to Viacom as a joint VH1 / Cartoon Network production. Please... don't let it end this way.

This album is currently on heavy rotation in my head. Coudal Partners notes that this was "filmed using vintage tv cameras bought on Ebay":

Vinyl May Be Final Nail in CD's Coffin. It seems sort of far-fetched, in a poetic-justice kind of way. But I imagine that the same people who switched from vinyl to CD for the convenience (back when there was a choice) are now just as happy with MP3s.

Waaay back in 2004, I wondered why the media companies didn't just flood P2P networks with fakes. Of course, they did, and more. MediaDefender is a company that's hired by the likes of HBO and BMG to fight piracy. But they're not merely "flooding the zone" with decoy files. MediaDefender, which apparently can't hire a decent web designer, just had months of internal emails leaked -- to BitTorrent, of course. Petard, hoist, etc. The emails reveal that the company tried to set up its own video sharing site (Miivi.com) for the sole purpose of snagging illegal file-sharers. More on this story over at Ars Technica.

New York Is A Woman, Suzanne Vega

-----------

New York City spread herself before you
with her bangles and her spangles and her stars
you were impressed with the city so undressed
you had to go out cruising all the bars

your business trip extended through the weekend
suburban boy here for your first time
from the 27th floor above the midtown roar
you were dazzled by her beauty and her crime

and she's every girl you've seen in every movie
every dame you've ever known on late night TV
in her steam and steel is the passion you feel
endlessly
New York is a woman she'll make you cry
and to her you're just another guy

look down and see her ruined places
smoke and ash still rising to the sky
she's happy that you're here but when you disappear
she won't know that you're gone to say goodbye

and she's every girl you've seen in every movie
every dame you've ever known on late night tv
in her steam and steel is the passion you feel
desperately
New York is a woman she'll make you cry
and to her you're just another guy

-------

Listen here.

I used to have a bunch of cassette tapes of old radio programs -- The Lone Ranger, Abbott & Costello, The Goon Show, Bob & Ray, The Shadow, stories like War of the Worlds and Leiningen Versus the Ants. They're probably still around somewhere, if the magnetic tape hasn't completely deteriorated in the last oh, 25 years. Enter the digital era -- there's a huge trove of old radio shows over at Archive.org. Start by downloading The Shadow. You can't go wrong with Orson.

The Conversation : Dirty Mind :: The Godfather : Purple Rain

Mess With Your Mind: Prince Spends The '80s Confounding Rock Critics, Tipper Gore - Idolator

Hey, there's a concert in Brooklyn next Saturday (the 25th) to benefit music projects at DonorsChoose! I haven't heard of any of the bands (except Golem) but then I'm, you know, old and stuff. The concert was organized by a posse of music bloggers, and is hence monikered After The Jump. Anyone up for it?

Oh, and here's their DonorsChoose Challenge Page.

Hey! I'm back! Sorry for the long absence -- I've been traveling for work (Rochester, SF, Boston) and on vacation (Block Island). Flickr photos up later. Plus, trying to fight against a Fortune 100 company in an online contest. It's been a busy few weeks.

Anyhoo, since so many of you asked (OK, it was only Josh, but still), here's the list of albums played at this year's EFNY party. Usually I pack the iPod full, put in on shuffle, and hook it up to the stereo. This year I had a few flurbs which kept me from filling it all the way up to 4 gees, but I think having fewer albums actually works better:

1. Adventures in Afropea 3: Telling Stories to the Sea, Various Artists. Mellow? Check.

2. Alright, Still, Lily Allen. Attitude? Check.

3. Back to Black, Amy Winehouse. Retro? Check.

4. Born in the USA, Bruce Springsteen.

5. Buzz Buzz, Laurie Berkner. For the kids. Actually its inclusion on the mix was a mistake, but did lead to some amusing song transitions.

6. Comfort Eagle, Cake.

7. Costello Music, The Fratellis.

8. Dimanche à Bamako, Amadou & Mariam. I think SF Liberal turned me on to this.

9. Discovery, Daft Punk. A CMOM addition.

10. Honey to the B, Billie Piper. Yes, Colin, she had a pre-Dr. Who career!

11. The Hook & Sling, Eddie Bo.

12. Introducting Joss Stone, Joss Stone.

13. Life In Cartoon Motion, Mika.

14. Remain in Light, Talking Heads.

15. Remixed and Reimagined, Nina Simone.

16. Speaking in Tongues, Talking Heads.

17. Stax 50th Anniversary Celebration, Various Artists. The eMusic version.

18. The Best of Bill Withers.

19. The Harder They Come, VA. You know, this is one of my favorite fall-back albums, but I've still never seen the movie?

20. Version, Mark Ronson.

21. Who Is This America?, Antibalas.

And there you have it!

Another blog reviews the Pipettes show that Chris and I went to on Tuesday so I don't have to. Thanks, Fluxblog! Oh, and here's another one which includes pictures -- check out the opening act, Smoosh!

In which our own Chris Molanphy examines the eternal debate: Sgt. Pepper or Revolver?

Hey, our own CMOM is guestblogging over at Idolator today; you can see all his posts here.

Thanks so much for loaning me the MP3s to sample. I've really enjoyed listening to some great music and learning about new artists.

Now, could you please properly tag those MP3s before you send them out? Pretty please? It would make things so much easier for all of us.

Thanks!

Satan! Look, if you've already cast Terence Stamp as God, your choice for Satan is obvious: Hugo Weaving. Give Guy Pearce a decent role and you've got a Priscilla reunion!

Via Quipsologies

Music Video Business Principles Applied To The Real World

Pepsi: Fine. Look, this television thing doesn't sound too great. What about the internet?

Promotions: No worries there: we have you covered.

Pepsi: [perking up] Ok... good.

Promotions: Yes sir, we have teams working round the clock making sure nobody can get access to your commercial.

Pepsi: That's grea... What?

Via Coudal.

Maybe it's just me. But most pop songs these days seem to be one minute too long.

I wouldn't have discovered this were it not for the iPod, which -- magically! -- displays how much time is left in a song. Time and again, I'll be listening to a song, and will get to that point. You know, the one where you go, OK, I've liked this song up until now, but it's starting to get a little repetitive. A bit tiresome. As my Grandmother would say, a bit too much of a muchness.

And then I look at the small screen, and there's one minute left. Nearly always. I mean, give or take a few seconds, but the Tiresome Point seems to fall about one minute before the end of the song.

Of course, it could just be me.

Thudfactor has come up with this nifty chart to express how much he likes an album, track by track. Pictured below, "Dark Side of the Moon":

Is that Tufte Rock? Well turn it up!

Speaking of charts, Junk Charts reprinted my Eschatology Chart.

Colin sent over this NYT article about the kid-rock scene in New York: Mama Was a Riot Grrrl? Then Pick Up a Guitar and Play

OK, so Zach and I actually went to see Tiny Masters of Today at the CMJ show at Union Hall they talk about in this article. Debbie said, "Oh, there's a kids' music show
there," and we went, to find out that it was not rock music for kids, but rock music by kids. It was a pretty hilarious scene -- some tots running around, a scrum of tweens sitting on the floor up front, the adults drinking beer in the back -- half parents, half CMJers. Zach told me that it was loud. And that he wanted to be in a rock band too. He said he wants to play the drums.

Of course, about halfway through the set, he fell asleep. That boy can sleep through anything.

• If you love old musicals, you should probably see The Drowsy Chaperone.
  
• If your idea of a delightful evening is listening to a man in whiteface and a bowler hat and an accordion sing (alternating between a countertenor falsetto and a Tom Waits-like growl) about blasphemy, prostitution, drug abuse, self-abuse, homicide, patricide, matricide, filicide, and deicide, then you should probably:
  
  • Seek professional help; or
  • Go to a Tiger Lillies concert.

That is all.

You're going to want to check this out. A really cool new music blog from a friend of mine here in Colorado and his two buddies. More stuff than I can even begin to keep track of. Go see the wonder that is Moving In Stereo.

In honor of the closing of CBGB's -- which, by the way, I never went to -- I played Richard Hell's "Blank Generation" really loud this morning.

On my iPod.

I am so old..

What?