What a disappointment. What poor handling of a band’s legacy.

The more I hear about the forthcoming remaster/reissue of the Rolling Stones’ seminal Exile On Main Street album, the more my enthusiasm gets tempered. On Record Store Day, I was thankfully able to score one of the limited edition 45s of “Plundered My Soul,” the first of the unreleased Exile cuts that make up a bonus disc in that set to make its way out. Watch the official video here & give it a listen yourself:

Not too shabby, right? At first glance it’s a shot of the classic, southern-fried, soulful rock that makes Exile so remarkable, but I was troubled by what I heard: something was off. Having never heard the song in unreleased/bootleg format, I had nothing with which to compare it, but parts of it sounded too clean, too polished to really be an outtake from that era, especially when lined up against bootlegs of a similar vintage. It also sounded sluggish to me — something about the pacing is off.

I did some poking around and found this listing of recording credits for the song:

Personnel:
Mick Jagger: Vocals, Guitar & Percussion
Keith Richards: Guitar
Charlie Watts: Drums
Bill Wyman: Bass
Nicky Hopkins: Piano
Mick Taylor: Guitar
Bobby Keys: Sax
Lisa Fisher: Background Vocals
Cindy Mizelle: Background Vocals

Okay, Mick, Keith, Charlie, Bill & Mick Taylor are all accounted for. Nicky Hopkins and Bobby Keys, too — they both were involved in the Exile sessions. Wait, Lisa Fisher? One of their current background singers? She has a hell of a voice, yes, but she was about 13 when the album was recorded, and I doubt a pre-teen would have been in the basement of Keith Richards’ house in southern France to record backing vocals for anything (actually, I’m pretty sure that Keith Richards’ basement is the absolute last place a pre-teen girl should have been in the early 70’s).

I’d heard that Don Was had been put in charge of assembling the added disc of outtakes & bonus tracks, and Rolling Stone (whose attractive new website won’t cough up the story/link) had reported, much to my dismay, that fresh instrumental overdubs had been added to some tracks, while another song, which only existed as an instrumental, had completely new lyrics written and vocals recorded for it by Jagger. This is an absolutely horrible bit of revisionist history — I just can’t see any need whatsoever to tinker with something like that. I’d rather hear the sounds of a band working through ideas, finding their way towards the greatness of songs like “Tumbling Dice” and “Loving Cup” than to hear something that’s neither here nor there. There were reasons why songs like “Pass The Wine” didn’t make the initial cut — let me find out why (maybe with better sound quality than on available bootlegs) on my own rather than trying to recapture the essence of a nearly 40-year old sound which, as the weird vibe all over “Plunder My Soul” proves, absolutely does not work.

I’m still in for purchasing the expanded reissue of Exile — I’m an Exile completist, and am surprised to only have a handful of the unreleased songs on bootlegs — but I wish they’d just let the unreleased stuff speak for itself instead of trying to re-interpret it. Thinking about this has driven me to begin putting together a Reissue Done Right for Exile, along the lines of what I put together for Sticky Fingers a few months back — you’ll see it before this “Exile” set hits, I promise.

I work in a place that’s got a nuclear policy bent, and my week at work has been frenzied thanks to President Obama’s nuclear security summit. In honor of the assembled leaders’ pledge to corral loose nuclear material, I thought it would be fun to put together a nuclear playlist — enjoy!

• Nena, “99 Red Balloons”
  The Watchmen movie did a respectable job of setting the stage with nuclear tension by including this ditty by German pop band Nena, which tells a story of 99 balloons floating into the air, triggering an apocalyptic overreaction by military forces.
• The Postal Service, “We Will All Become Silhouettes”
  The post-apocalyptic/fallout shelter imagery is haunting stuff — thankfully, the video is more warped than creepy. Or maybe it’s creepy because it’s warped:

• Genesis, “Land of Confusion”
  Okay, the song itself isn’t necessarily about nuclear weapons, but the nuclear imagery of the music video was burned into my brain as a kid:

• Keith Richards, “Oh Lord, Don’t Let Them Drop That Atomic Bomb On Me”
  I’d never encountered this recording before thinking about putting this list together. It’s a cover of a Charles Mingus recording (from the 50’s? 60’s? I can’t find any info about its origins) that features a host of Rolling Stones collaborators: Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, longtime backing vocalist Bernard Fowler, keyboardist Chuck Leavell, and the Uptown Horns all appear. Loose, fun stuff.
• Tom Lehrer, “We Will All Go Together When We Go”
  If you’ve gotta go, you might as well go with a smile: this wry take on nuclear destruction was recorded at Harvard’s Sanders Theater in back in 1959.
• “Weird Al” Yankovic, “Christmas at Ground Zero”
  Fallout makes for some great holiday cheer: “Oh, it’s Christmas at Ground Zero/And if the radiation level’s okay/I’ll go out with you and see the all new/Mutations on New Year’s Day”
• Electric Six, “Nuclear War (On the Dancefloor)”
  These awesome hair metal riffs are offered without comment.
• Electric Six, “I’m The Bomb”
  I had to double-dip with the Six, because this pair of songs go so well together. The catchy disco beat & melody are paired with an impressive Kenny Powers-style bravado, especially when it climaxes in the chorus: “3-2-1 I’m the bomb/And I’m ready to go off in your shit.”

Download the songs here:

Download: Nena, “99 Red Balloons” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: The Postal Service, “We Will All Become Silhouettes” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Genesis, “Land of Confusion” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Keith Richards, “Oh Lord, Don’t Let Them Drop That Atomic Bomb On Me” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Tom Lehrer, “We Will All Go Together When We Go” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: “Weird Al” Yankovic, “Christmas at Ground Zero” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Electric Six, “Nuclear War (On the Dancefloor)” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Electric Six, “I’m The Bomb” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

This ZIP of the entire list is da BOMB:

Download: That’s noo-klee-er (ZIP)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Things around these parts have been pretty dormant for months, and I’m sorry about that. Life has a habit of getting in the way, and when you’re feeling down, it’s really hard to sit down & write about something as seemingly trivial as music.

It’s been almost six weeks since my grandmother Alice Leveton passed away. She fought a months-long battle against a variety of ailments that were precipitated by a serious fall in the home she shared with my mother in Florida. We all called her Mac: it was a nickname she gained while serving as an Army nurse during WWII, short for McAlister, her maiden name.

Today, as my iPhone shuffled during my AM commute, Johnny Cash’s touching cover of “We’ll Meet Again” played, and all I could think about was Mac. His Rubin-era recordings have been the accompaniment to my experience with her illness: I was listening to his Unearthed collection before I got some serious news about her condition in January, and the only CD I had or driving music while in Florida at the time of her passing was his most recent posthumous set, American VI: Ain’t No Grave. Listening to Cash coming to terms with his mortality and spirituality at the same time I was considering Mac’s and my own was equal parts upsetting and comforting, but I can’t imagine any better voice for the experience.

Grave is an emotional rollercoaster of an album, and the one song that will forever hit me like a sledgehammer is “I Don’t Hurt Anymore.” I was with Mac at the end, and her final hours, her silent gasps for air, seemed like such a struggle — I know the song is really about a breakup, but that sentiment, “At last I am free/I don’t hurt anymore,” makes me feel both barrels of the pain and relief of her passing every time I hear it.

Mac and I had a shared love for many things — The Late Show with David Letterman, cheeseburgers with grilled onions from the now-closed Paul’s Famous Hamburgers in Milford, CT, — but we had very different taste in music. The tapes (tapes!) I remember her playing most came from her sons, my late uncles Peter and Philip, and I think the fact that they came from her boys meant more than any of the music therein.

There are 3 artists who will forever be associated with Mac in my mind. First: Polish-born chanteuse Basia, who, on the cover of her album Time and Tide, I mistook for Tiffany. Mac’s favorite, tho, was London Warsaw New York, which featured this bit of deliciously mangled English, “Cruising for Bruising”:

The second is Michael Franks, who’s giving off a classy pedophile vibe on the cover of the uncomfortably-titled Skin Dive:

Yikes. I never heard her listen to Skin Dive, but that creepy album cover stayed with me all these years. Check out some of his synth “jazz”:

Mac’s absolute favorite singer, though, was Barbara Streisand, who she often just called “Barbara.” Every time she was on TV, it was appointment viewing for her. I remember her listening to Back to Broadway most, a collection of showtunes from the Great White Way:

The last gift I gave Mac was a CD of Barbara’s, her last album, Love Is The Answer. Mac was hospitalized and not completely coherent, and she didn’t have a CD player or radio anywhere in her hospital room, but I thought just having it would bring her a little bit of joy. The back cover photo was a bonus, too, because it featured a little white dog that looked like her last dog Dolly.

After Mac passed, my family began the process of cleaning out her bedroom, and we came across Barbara’s CD, still sealed. My mother offered it to me, but I declined.

I guess there’s no tidy way to sum up and end this post, so I’ll say goodbye to Mac the way Johnny Cash said goodbye on Ain’t No Grave with a tender cover of “Aloha Oe” — we’ll meet again, indeed:

Download: Johnny Cash, “Aloha Oe” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Last therapeutic, over-personal venting for a while, I promise. New lists & other recommendations to come.

Vacations and other deadlines have conspired to make me late this month, kids — apologies for the delay.

In keeping with the theme (and in an effort to finally wrap up our September lists), I’m going to make this quick: my goal was to assemble a list of songs that were just short enough to leave you wanting more, songs that made you skip back & listen to them again right away. Here we go:

1. Ten Minute Turns, “Stars Burn OUT”
   A perfect combination of dusky atmosphere, foot-tapping melody, and a stirring build in voices and instruments to the song’s end.
2. Beastie Boys, “Super Disco Breakin’”
   Hello Nasty got off to a hell of a start with this 2-minute shot of city-street adrenaline. Features one of my favorite Beasties lines ever: “Sometimes I like to brag/Sometimes I’m soft spoken/When I’m in Holland I eat the pannenkoeken.”
3. Willie Nelson, “I Never Cared For You”
   From Willie Nelson’s 1998 collaboration with Daniel Lanois, Teatro. Lanois hypnotically transforms Willie’s devastating country oldie with a spare but atmospheric arrangement, a Latin-informed beat, and lovely & haunting harmony vocals from the unparalleled Emmylou Harris. Worth multiple listens.
4. Blur, “Song 2″
   Before it became a staple of touchdown and goal celebrations in sports arenas, it was the breakout single in the US from Blur’s self-titled 1997 album.
5. Elastica, “Generator”
   I didn’t discover Elastica until after frontwoman Justine Frischmann had broken up with beau Damon Albarn (yep, from Blur) and the band was about ready to implode. The tension in the band’s ranks made for some explosive, intensely catchy punk songs, and this is my favorite of the bunch from their swan song The Menace.
6. The White Stripes, “Hotel Yorba”
   This garage-folk number from White Blood Cells introduced me to and got me hooked on the White Stripes. Don’t think Jack White’s been ever catchier.
7. The Two Man Gentleman Band, “Rabbit Foot Stomp”
   Some practical advice from the 2 Gents. Great, now I’m hungry, too.
8. Florence And The Machine, “Hospital Beds”
   This Cold War Kids cover (I’ve never actually heard the original) was one of the first FATM songs I heard, and I was instantly captivated by Florence’s voice. The song ends just as it reaches fever pitch, too, which left me wanting much, much more.
9. Bill Withers, “Ain’t No Sunshine”
   When evaluating songs for this list, I was shocked at how short this classic is. Never gets old.
10. Eels, “Ant Farm”
    Picking a favorite of Mark Oliver Everett’s short, memorable pop songs was tough, but Lisa Germano’s violin vaulted this heartfelt folk ballad to the top of that long list.
11. Ramones, “I Remember You”
    Punk balladry at its best. I saw U2 cover it in NYC shortly after Joey’s death, too — a magic moment.
12. Blink-182, “What’s My Age Again”
    Early-twenties confusion never sounded so fun.
13. Sam Cooke, “Wonderful World”
    I think this may be my favorite pop song of all time. Really.
14. The Pipettes, “I Love You”
    This song’s Spector-like economy and punch actually defined my personal criteria for this month’s challenge: it ends just as the song feels like it’s come to a boil, and it continues to get loads of repeat listens.

Download: Ten Minute Turns, “Stars Burn OUT” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Beastie Boys, “Super Disco Breakin’” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Willie Nelson, “I Never Cared For You” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Blur, “Song 2″ (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Elastica, “Generator” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: The White Stripes, “Hotel Yorba” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: The Two Man Gentleman Band, “Rabbit Foot Stomp” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Florence And The Machine, “Hospital Beds” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Bill Withers, “Ain’t No Sunshine” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Eels, “Ant Farm” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Ramones, “I Remember You” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Blink-182, “What’s My Age Again” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Sam Cooke, “Wonderful World” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: The Pipettes, “I Love You” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download everything in a handy ZIP file:

Download: “Short Cuts (ZIP)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Finally, an excuse to pair Bob Dylan and Basement Jaxx together on a playlist!

1. Bob Dylan, “I Want You”
   “You don’t have it? That is perverse. Don’t tell anybody you don’t own fucking Blonde on Blonde“ (the line is at the 1:17 mark). Oh, I have it alright, JB. Three copies of it to be precise (none of them vinyl, sadly, but I have made it a habit of giving vinyl copies of it to turntable-enabled friends as wedding presents), and “I Want You” has always been one of my favorites. Dylan is more refreshingly direct than usual for him in ‘66, and I love the harp. Interesting theory behind the song on Wikipedia:

   It has been argued that the song is about Anita Pallenberg, at the time the girlfriend of Brian Jones, because of the line “Now your dancing child with his Chinese suit/ He spoke to me, I took his flute./ No, I wasn’t very cute to him”. Brian Jones was known to Dylan and they hung out when Dylan was in London. The relationship was amicable but also tense, ending up in a car chase and car crash (without any casualties) in the middle of the night. Jones used to wear a Chinese shirt at the time. Another line states that “time was on his side”, perhaps referencing a Rolling Stones song from 1964, called ‘Time is On My Side’.

   Interesting idea, no?

2. The Troggs, “I Want You”
   Some primal riffing from the 60’s British invasion. Sounds an awful lot like their biggest hit “Wild Thing,” not that there’s anything wrong with that.
3. Kelly Clarkson, “I Want You”
   Guilty pleasure alert: Look, I know that this slinky number was scientifically created in a Swedish songwriting lab, specifically designed to stimulate the cheese-pop center of my brain, and given to the American Idol winner with the most hispter cred (see Ted Leo’s cover of “Since U Been Gone”) in order to work its way into the maximum number of iPods. What can I say? It worked.
4. Basement Jaxx, “I Want U”
   The duo seems to have learned both spelling and sensual funk from Prince on this track from Rooty, and it serves them well. Jaxx’s futuristic blend of high-BPM house, funk & pop is unique and intoxicating. I’m unsure of the identity of the singer here, but the vocal cut & paste job leading into the choruses is amazing.
5. Massive Attack, “I Want You”
   A collaboration between the Bristol trip-hop progenitors and overrated Anglophile Madonna that only appeared on hits collections from both artists. 3D provides a rolling, perfect-for-4AM beat and peppers it with swaying orchestral beauty, and Madge, more than anything else, makes me miss Liz Fraser’s vocals. Still a good song, but it would have come out better with more help from Massive Attack’s usual suspects.
6. Kings Of Leon, “I Want You”
   I wasn’t a Kings of Leon fan until I first heard “Use Somebody” from their most recent album Only By The Night. Finally, I thought, they’d figured it out, toning down the wooziness of their southern-fried boogie and cranking up their arena-rock ambitions and knack for U2-ish hooks. Their “I Want You” is a slow-burning anthem, and it has just the right amount of cowbell.
7. Elvis Costello, “I Want You”
   Costello’s take on “I Want You” is the dark, tortured flipside of most of the rest of this list. Nicked from Blood & Chocolate, he and the Attractions spin a haunting yarn of obsession and desire.

Download: Bob Dylan, “I Want You” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: The Troggs, “I Want You” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Kelly Clarkson, “I Want You” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Basement Jaxx, “I Want U” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Massive Attack, “I Want You” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Kings Of Leon, “I Want You” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Elvis Costello, “I Want You” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download all the songs in a handy ZIP file:

Download: “‘I Want You’ to Want Me” (ZIP)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

I can’t remember exactly under what circumstances I had this thought, but when I was a kid I remember thinking, “Do you think they’ll ever run out of song titles? There are only so many combinations of words in the English language.” My youthful fear has been alleviated thanks to the continual invention of new words like “shizzle,” but I’m pretty sure my initial question was brought upon by hearing lots of songs with the same or deeply similar names.

Upon further review — and a good, deep exploration in this month’s playlists — that’s a very good thing. Enjoy our playlists featuring songs with the same name that aren’t the same song. Sorry, Digital Underground.

• The Man(del) from UNCLE’s “We’ve Got Magic To Do”
• UNKLE Matt’s “Some X 8″
• Uncle Sam’s “‘I Want You’ to Want Me”
• Onkel Rudi’s “The Song Remains The Same… Sort Of (”It’s Only Love”)”

P.S. - Before anyone gets all Merriam-Webster on me for misunderstanding the definition of homonym, I’m reinterpreting the term to apply to song. Word?

Florence and the Machine have bewitched me with excellent singles all year long — the masochistic White Stripes-y stomp “Kiss With A Fist” and “Dog Days Are Over,” which impeccably blends Kate Bush’s ethereal sounds with blues and soul, have both spent lots of time on repeat — and now that their debut album Lungs has finally arrived stateside, their takeover of my Last.fm recently played list is complete.

Lungs is my kind of pop album: dark, complex tunes; unpredictable, interesting arrangements and rhythms; memorable hooks; dashes of soul, blues, rock, and modern Brit indie-pop; anchored by one of the most dynamic and interesting voices I’ve ever heard. I really dig it — UNKLE Matt is also a convert — and you should give it a shot, too. Here’s the video for the album’s first official UK single, “Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)”:

Here’s my favorite non-single from Lungs:

Download: Florence and the Machine, “Howl” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Like what you’ve heard? You’ve got options: you can import a copy of Lungs from Amazon.co.uk like I did (grabbed the deluxe edition with a second disc of demos & unreleased tracks — a nice bonus); grab it digitally from iTunes; or wait until mid-October when it will finally be released in stores in the US.

Interesting footnote: according to sales figures posted by The Guardian, single “Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)” was able to land at #16 on midweek sales charts in the UK after selling only 62 copies on CD — 2% of all sales for the single. Dang. Is my collection of CD singles bound for the Smithsonian or what?

We’re wrapping up our tribute to music’s holy trinity of excess this month by cranking the amps to eleven. “Rock and roll!”

Maybe these playlists will help them find Cleveland:

• Uncle Sam’s “Gunter glieben glauchen globen”
• The Man(del) from UNCLE’s “Ka-ROCK-oke”
• Onkel Rudi’s “Too Old to Rock & Roll”
• UNKLE Matt’s list is coming soon!

You said it, Mutt Lange:

1. Chuck Berry, “Roll Over Beethoven”
   I thought it made sense to start at the beginning (how very Yogi Berra of me), so I dug up my favorite song by Marvin Berry’s famous cousin. What a clarion call this was still is.
2. Interlude: “I Pledge Allegiance To The Band”
   I wonder if similar discussions happened when the Beatles formed.
3. Oasis, “Rock N’ Roll Star”
   Talk about your opening salvos — this first track from Oasis’ classic debut Definitely Maybe certainly set the tone for their career: big, booming & brash.
4. Supergrass, “Pumping On Your Stereo”
   This punchy single is nicked from the Brit-rockers’ self-titled 3rd album, and finds the band blending a bouncy, glam-fueled stomp with Jagger-esque phrasing and generous handclaps to great effect.
5. The Upper Crust, “Let Them Eat Rock”
   Every night this Boston-based quartet answers the eternal question: What if AC/DC had formed in Victorian England? They’d don powdered wigs, drop gigantic, tasty riffs, and continue rocking harder than anyone else is what. Believe it:

6. Go Home Productions, “Rock In Black”
   A veritable smorgasbord of hard rocking bits crammed elegantly into a single track by my favorite UK-based DJ/masher Mark Vidler. Primarily a blend of “Back in Black” and “We Will Rock You,” tho, and it should not be missed.
7. Def Leppard, “Rock Of Ages”
   One of the Lep’s best Mutt Lange-assisted rockers, from 1983’s Pyromania. This live version is nicked from the recently released deluxe edition remaster of the album, recorded that year at the L.A. forum. It’s great to hear such a studio-assisted song given new vibrance on stage by a band at the peak of their live prowess.
8. Tenacious D, “Rock Your Socks”
   Now I know what a lot of you are sayin’: “I just figured out what I’m gonna do with the rest of my days: I’m gonna get me an oversized guitar, gain forty pounds, and be the next D!” Well I got sour news for you, Jack: it ain’t that easy.
9. Interlude: “These go to eleven”
   That “extra bit” might explain all the spontaneous combustion.
10. Spinal Tap, “The Majesty Of Rock”
    Believe it or not, this song was my introduction to Spinal Tap. Not the movie, not a copy of Smell The Glove on vinyl (if only such a thing really existed), it was a cassette tape of their 2nd album, Break Like The Wind. When it hit in 1991, the video for this song was getting loads of play on MTV, and being a big Christopher Guest fan (loved him as the Six-fingered Man), I checked it out, had a good, hard-rocking chuckle, and the rest is history.

Download: Chuck Berry, “Roll Over Beethoven” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Jack Black, “I Pledge Allegiance To The Band” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Oasis, “Rock N’ Roll Star” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Supergrass, “Pumping On Your Stereo” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: The Upper Crust, “Let Them Eat Rock” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Go Home Productions, “Rock In Black” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Def Leppard, “Rock Of Ages” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Tenacious D, “Rock Your Socks” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Spinal Tap, “This one goes to eleven” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Spinal Tap, “The Majesty Of Rock” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download all the songs in a handy ZIP file:

Download: “Gunter glieben glauchen globen” (ZIP)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

We’ve hit the halfway mark in ‘09, and it’s about time I checked in with a list of what I’ve been digging over the last few months. Gentlemen, start your list making!

• Oi Va Voi, Traveling the Face of the Globe
  They were my May monthly crush, and for good reason: “At first glance, their sound recalls Beirut thanks to the globetrotting ethnic instrumentation — clarinet, trumpet, bouzouki, violins, and accordion pepper the songs — but as soon as Bridgette Amofah starts singing on the album opener “Waiting,” you’re transported somewhere distinctly modern and utterly unique. It’s indie rock! It’s traditional Jewish music! (It’s a floor wax! It’s a dessert topping!) It’s both, and it’s awesome. The songs are great, the melodies memorable, and the arrangements are consistently interesting & unexpected. Hard to describe in just a few words, but I think “Badly Drawn Jew” does them justice.”

  Try “Every Time” below, and if you dig it, grab Traveling the Face of the Globe at iTunes!

  Download: Oi Va Voi, “Every Time” (mp3)
  (Right-click/control-click link to download)

• Fred, Go God Go
  What I said while making them my June monthly crush still stands: “Go God Go is shockingly great, and is in the running for my favorite album of the year. It’s impressively hooky, soul-infused indie pop from beginning to end, and I haven’t found a single song that begs the skip button. Every tune brings something interesting & fun to the table, from the swirling disco + cowbell-enhanced rhythms of “Skyscraper” and the unexpected shot of mariachi horns in “Keep Me Clear” to the sharp, soaring brit-rock of of “Fear” — it’s all good. Best of all, the melodies are memorable & the stuff that repeat listens are made of.”

  Give “Good One” a spin below, and then grab Go God Go at iTunes!

  Download: Fred, “Good One” (mp3)
  (Right-click/control-click link to download)

• Wilco, Wilco (the album)
  Jeff Tweedy & company have assembled another batch of excellent songs, and I find the sound of (the album) to be a nice middle ground between the warmth of Sky Blue Sky and the chill of A Ghost is Born. Some critics have complained that the band are keeping guitar virtuoso Nels Cline on too short a leash, but I find the “lil’ dab will do ya” approach here a winning one. Beautiful stuff abounds.

  Check out “I’ll Fight” below & then grab (the album) at iTunes.

  Download: Wilco, “I’ll Fight” (mp3)
  (Right-click/control-click link to download)

• Manic Street Preachers, Journal for Plague Lovers
  Long story behind this album, so here’s the short-short version: Manics lyricist & guitarist Richey Edwards vanishes in 1995 shortly after the release of their opus The Holy Bible; band soldiers on as trio releasing gigantically successful albums, many dealing with the loss of Edwards; in tribute to their missing mate, Manics set unfinished/unused lyrics of Edwards’ to music, even reconnecting with Bible producer Steve Albini to recapture the sound of the band when Edwards was part of it; resulting album is really good — sounds like the proper sequel to Bible, and is a critical & popular success in the UK. Not yet available on these shores, but if you dug The Holy Bible, you’ll really dig Journal for Plague Lovers.

  Try “This Joke Sport Severed” on for size below & then order Journal for Plague Lovers from amazon.com.

  Download: Manic Street Preachers, “This Joke Sport Severed” (mp3)
  (Right-click/control-click link to download)

A few other favorites:

• Favorite reason to hit the dancefloor: Little Boots, “New In Town” from the forthcoming album Hands. Best pop single of the year, hands down (no pun intended).
• Favorite new road trip song: Malcolm Middleton, “Red Travellin’ Socks” from the excellent Waxing Gibbous. Folk with four on the floor.
• Favorite reason to learn French: Plastiscines, “Pas Avec Toi” from About Love. Nothing lost in translation here: this quartet of ladies rocks.
• Favorite Spoon-fed rawk: White Rabbits, “Percussion Gun” from It’s Frightening. Sharp, inventive indie from Brooklyn by way of Austin’s finest.
• Favorite reissues done right: Aside from our own? Gotta be the 2 new Def Leppard deluxe editions for Pyromania and Adrenalize. Both albums sound better than ever, and the complete 1983 live show added to Pyromania should not be missed.
• Favorite things to look forward to: Florence and the Machine’s debut album, Lungs, due in the UK in July; Nicely loaded reissues of the Beastie Boys’ Ill Communication and Hello Nasty, both dropping ahead of a new album this fall.