For those that are into music lists, P4K has compiled their notion of the 500 greatest songs into a book.  “Focusing on indie rock (Arcade Fire, the Shins), hip-hop (Public Enemy, Jay-Z), electronic (Daft Punk, Boards of Canada), pop (Madonna, Justin Timberlake), metal (Metallica, Boris), and experimental underground music (Suicide, Boredoms), The Pitchfork 500 features all-new essays and reviews written with the sharp wit bombast and insight annoying juvenile snobbery for which the site is known.”  Pre-order it at Amazon.  And yes, for as much as I quasi-loath P4K, I’ll be picking up this book or at least thumbing threw it at some point.

YANP had floated the rumor that Neutral Milk Hotel’s Jeff Mangum would be making an appearance for the E6 reunion shows in both Chicago and Kentucky.  And the rumors turned out to be true, sort of.  Stereogum, among others we’re sure, have the details and video evidence of Mangum’s appearance Saturday night in NYC.  It goes without saying that you should probably catch the E6 Holiday Reunion Tour just in case.  For those scratching their heads the easiest way to convey how exciting this is is the tired analogy of Jeff Mangum equals J.D. Salinger.  Though Mangum hasn’t exactly been 100% out of the spotlight, making appearances here or there like Keyser Soze.  A musical spook.  [Stereogum]

I’ve never heard of the Miniature Tigers, who are a Phoenix foursome, but I was piqued with interest in this video/song for several reasons.  The first, is it was directed by JD Ryznar who helped create Yacht Rock, and second, the opening guitar line is straight cribbed from both Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger” and Stevie Nick’s “Edge of Seventeen.”

That’s good company and really if we’re talking rock music dinner parties one could do worse than having Survivor and Stevie Nicks attending.  Throw in some combination of Jesus, Albert Einstein and Abe Lincoln and you’re set.

However, I recommend it for a one other reason.  There’s a moment in the absurdly comical video when the Raiders of the Lost Ark goon explodes into a nasty guitar shredder.  Comic gold.

Actually, the song’s pretty catchy.  Always a bonus.

It’s taken me quite some time and many hours of contemplative thoughts; but, if I were a professional athlete (specifically a baseball player) this would be my intro music.  I say baseball, because that’s really the only sport where intro music is applicable.  Are you telling me, that in a tight clutch situation the crowd wouldn’t be brought to it’s absolute most bonkers and that I wouldn’t get the game winning hit?  It would have to be coming out of a commercial break to maximize the song and get a good minute or two, but still, there’s no way I would fail with this song amping me up.

Also, this song could work in golf.  Phil Mickelson would be an entirely different golfer if this song played for him before every hole.  Vinjay Singh wouldn’t know how to react and probably would pee himself.

I was going to say how these guys are the only Southern Rock band that matter, pre-plane crash of course. But then I saw this comment exchange for the video and I almost lost it:

Trashtodeath: lol the drummer looks like Chris Haslam (ed. note: Haslam is a professional skateboarder from Canada)
metalmuncher14: the drummer is artimus pyle and hes also a registered sex offender out of florida, musics still awesome

Yes metalmuncher14, the music is awesome.

Seems appropriate because it’s the start of the rain season here in Portland, a miserable dark affair.  This cut seriously burns though.  Two of the blues finest going lick for lick during a special jam at CHCH Studios in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.  December 6 1983.  If you don’t have this album, then you need to run out right now and get your ears a copy.

Sick.

They were the highlight at the All Tomorrow’s Party Festival in New York. Stereogum was on hand with a brief recap, photos and most importantly video highlights. “Outside that original early ’90s context, Loveless live lacks the original energy/danger/forward trajectory and feels a bit like a museum piece. On the other hand, that set-ending noise jam, which also showed up at City Gardens, was more bearable with the foresight for earplugs.” [Stereogum]

Never got around to posting this when the site was down for all of last week. Can you tell I’m still bitter about it? Anyway, this is the latest brain-f*ck from Charlie Kaufman. I’ve been digging Wired’s Kaufmenesque profile about the making of the magazine profile. Still, this one looks like it could be great.

Kaufman wrote the films Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, Human Nature, Confessions of a Dangerous mind and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. A.O. Scott liked it at Cannes. The film will be out in limited release (NY & LA?) on Oct 24.

This past week has sucked unholy hell.  It’s tough not being able to do anything for something you put so much effort in.  But basically this week has been a wash, so I hope ya’ll will still stick around.  We’re probably going to stay in tonight and catch up assorted stuff.  The good news is that our week was significantly better than John McCain’s. 

Man, that was just brutal to watch wasn’t it?  (randomly google things like “John McCain’s bad week” and there are stories posted about the week that should have ended his presidential bid going back to April 2008)  It would be really funny if it wasn’t possible for him to be president.  I say this as someone who’s scared of what that would be like.  Not scared of a Republican president, but John McCain specifically.

So much happened this week, it’s hard to keep track of it all.  So what were the highlights?  I dunno. Nothing really pops out at me early this morning. I totally dig the new Jack White and Alicia Keys Bond Theme.  It’s different, but kind of cool. And certainly better than Chris Cornell’s theme song and for that matter everything in the Pierce Brosnan ouevre.

We woulda had more thoughts contained here within, but again my stupid hosting company (which has now taken the top spot on my shit list even ahead of the stupid bearded McLovin look alike hipster who felt it necessary to rock out to his heart’s content at the Starfucker show last night even though a) there was no room to dance unless he was trying to grind up on me and b) he looked apallingly ridiculous doing that weird indie rock white man’s overbite/rave style mashup and c) the cute girl you were with almost certainly did not go home with you despite your best efforts) doesn’t have their shit together and the majority of this post, i.e. all of it, was lost due to a server malfunction this morning. Of course they told me the problem has been fixed about three times now.

Honestly, I am a mild-mannered person bordering on comatose, but right now there is so much rage boiling inside of me, that I pray for everyone in my life to not set me off. It almost happened while driving to work between sitting at a train crossing for 25-minutes and getting cutoff by some asshole in a Porsche.

Deep breaths.

Perhaps the one thing I love about September, more than the gradual nip in the air, the brisk winds picking up, or the subtle changing of the leaves is the full moon. The Harvest Moon. Low in the horizon, vibrant rust orange and unnaturally large. For some reason, no other full moon looks the way a Harvest Moon does.

When the Harvest Moon ascends to the night sky it is the one time during the year that I pause and reflect upon the night sky - no other astrological phenomena does that to me. It signifies the changing from the dog days of summer into the magic that is fall.

I love this video of Jimi strummin’ a 12-string guitar. Oddly, I felt like I was watching a Gap commercial the entire time. I kept waiting for Hendrix to smile and say something about his awesome get up being available during the fall collection. *Sigh*

Sorry I missed this yesterday.  Friday was the fifth anniversary of Johnny Cash’s death.  To say he was just a country music legend seems sorta beneath him doesn’t it?  He was much more than that. An inspirational figure for cutting your own swath, gumption, redemption.  I’m not sure I can live without either of his prison live records At San Quentin or At Folsom Prison.  

When Cash passed away, most music fans familiar with his story found it somehow appropriate or a nice bookend or not all that surprising, given that his amour, June Carter Cash, passed a few months previous.  The thought of living without her a burden too great for even a survivor like Johnny Cash to bear.  

To commorate the singer, Johnnycashradio.com is streaming a broadcast special featuring remembrances from his daughters Roseanne and Joanne Cash Yates.  One of the highlights includes the first ever song Cash recorded.  It’ll only be available for a limited time, but you can download it from ITunes.  

“No other entertainer left such an indelible imprint on our society as Cash did,” says Bill Miller, founder of the official Johnny Cash website. “His music and legacy transcend generations and his appeal continues to grow even in death.”

Amen to that.  These two songs slay me every time I listen to them. Doesn’t matter when I hear them. In fact I’m crying right now just trying to upload them. Damn you Johnny Cash! Damn you straight to heaven.

Johnny Cash - “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry”
Johnny Cash - “Sunday Morning Coming Down”

Piano maestro and singer Ben Folds has earned enough lifetime fan credits from me for his early work in Ben Folds Five between Whatever and Ever Amen and especially The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner.  He hasn’t entirely squandered those credits with his solo work, but there’s something missing from it.  Truth be told it’s just not on the same level of quality as his Five days.  I don’t know if that’s a conscientious thing or if it’s that he’s trying to get mainstream acceptance.

The video for his new song was directed by Tim and Eric of Tim and Eric’s Awesome Show Great Job! and though guest Regina Spektor is nowhere to be found (for shame!) the video is like a bizarre Kids in the Hall sketch, which is saying something because every Kids in the Hall sketch was bizarre and slightly askew.

The part I’m having a hard time with is the disconnect between how catchy, breezy and enjoyable “You Don’t Know Me at All” is and how much it sounds like a saccharine song written specifically for the soundtrack to a Meg Ryan romantic comedy.  George Clooney might star opposite her in this one, so at least it’s got that going for it.

Also: How awesome is it that Ben Folds Five is reuniting for a one-off show in Chapel Hill, NC to play the entirety of Reinhold Messner?  If I had the flow to fly down there I’d be at that show without question.  One hopes it goes so well that Ben Folds, Darren Jesse and Robert Sledge realize they need to permanently play music together again.