It’s not paranoia if they’re really after you

Better late than never, right? Oh, and in response to Mandel, my post has with 100% more Cypress Hill than his (see the bonus at the end of the download links).

1. Tom Waits, “What’s He Building In There?”
   This intensely creepy and odd monologue is one of my favorite things about Mule Variations. The curious-neighbor-paranoia of the narrator totally makes me think of the crap-tastic Tom Hanks movie “The Burbs.”
2. Rockwell, “Somebody’s Watching Me”
   I know Michael Jackson is only here as a guest vocalist, but somehow the song feels like it’s really just about him.
3. Faith No More, “Midlife Crisis”
   What an odd choice for a lead single from Angel Dust, FNM’s dark follow-up to their multi-platinum hit The Real Thing. Mike Patton’s guttural, unhinged vocals (”My head is like a lettuce/Go on and dig your thumbs in”) completely scared away the MTV crowd, and the band was better for it.
4. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, “Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!”
   Way to go, Sam, shoehorning a song from your newest obsession onto this month’s playlist. Not really: yes, the song is a cheeky modern updating of the biblical Lazarus story, but in Cave’s version, Larry (Laz) is driven mad, Howard-Hughes-style, by the modern world. “Mirrors became his torturers,” indeed.
5. Ramones, “Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment”
   Nurse Ratched would be proud.
6. Deltron 3030, “Madness”
   Nicked from the Del/Automator/Kid Koala hip-hop/sci-fi collaboration Deltron 3030, we find Del rapping paranoiac over futuristic strings. When did the violin become the official instrument of the mentally deranged? Was it “Cuckoo’s Nest”?
7. Violent Femmes, “Crazy”
   It would have almost been to easy to toss Gnarls Barkley’s classic “Crazy” onto this list, so I went the extra mile & tracked down this excellent, mandolin-fueled cover by Violent Femmes. Gordon Gano’s jittery vocals only add to the unhinged feeling the tune creates.
8. Eels, “My Descent Into Madness”
   One of the best numbers from their amazing Electro-shock Blues album, the song finds E getting inside the head of his sister Elizabeth, who spent some time in a mental health institution before her death. Dark stuff, but the cascading violin sample (again with the crazy strings!) is worth the price of admission alone.

Download: Tom Waits, “What’s He Building In There?” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Rockwell, “Somebody’s Watching Me” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Faith No More, “Midlife Crisis” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, “Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Ramones, “Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Deltron 3030, “Madness” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Violent Femmes, “Crazy” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Eels, “My Descent Into Madness” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Bonus Track!
(It’s really the best version of the song)

Download: Richard Cheese, “Insane in the Brain” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)