I think there's a tchotchke in my bum.

Wow! I had mustard?!

Welcome back to that blog that is so near and dear to my heart that I haven’t updated it in 2 weeks. Hey, I haven’t updated the strip in that long either. I’ve discovered that I like to sleep.

So I’ve noticed that 1) the Grammy’s sucked…the 10 minutes I saw of it at least. Will someone please tell Madonna to go away. No, seriously, I want her gone. And this time kissing Britney Spears or doing a James Bond movie isn’t gonna help her back. 2) I haven’t done really any music reviews in a while and considering how much I’ve added to my collection I figured it’s about time so….

MUSIC YOU SHOULD REALLY REALLY BY LISTENING TO (tournament edition):

Electric President – Electric President

I’m kinda hooked on this album lately. It’s the closest thing to a new Postal Service album you’re going to get until the current Death Cab run slows down and Ben Gibbard finds himself with more free time. Expect this to never happen. So until pigs fly and Mr. Burns writes that check to the Springfield Orphanage, check out these guys. Good Morning, Hypocrite is a great way to kick things off building slowly to a smooth string infused finish. Insomnia is right now at the top of my favorite songs list, reminding me slightly of Elliot Smith lyrics set to a Postal Service beat. We Were Never Built to Last has a great frenetic beat while the lyrics and wailing guitar intertwine themselves as the song goes on. Seriously, only one other album is getting more playing time on the ol’ iPod right now and that would be…

The New Pornographers – Twin Cinema

Yeah, if I’m kinda hooked on Electric President, I’m full on, blown away by this album. The opening number Twin Cinema is just full on great rock n’ roll. Sing Me Spanish Techno has a great rocking beat to it throughout the verses before pulling hitting a great falsetto chorus. Streets Of Fire brings things way down for a fantastic acoustic number. But if you want the stand out number check out Bleeding Heart Show and I dare you to not have that ending refrain rolling through your brain for the next few hours. It’s just that gosh darn good.

Sufjan Stevens – Illinois

So full on rock isn’t on your plate today and you feel like something a little more mellow, possibily with without a doubt the most original track names of all time? Try out this one. The opening number, Concerning the UFO sighting Near Highland, Illinois is a gorgeous simple piano piece leading directly into the chorus infused, overture of The Black Hawk War… (seriously the title is just too long to write) which flows into what I have to label the opening number of Come On! Feel the Illinoise! as you can almost see the chorus being performed on stage or in a musical to set the scene of the rest of the album. John Wayne Gacy, Jr.‘s simple, single guitar acoustic sound is just beautiful, so much so that it took me almost two listens before I realized this song was actually about the serial killer. But the award for greatest song title ever has to go to They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!! They Have Come Back From the Dead!! Ahhhh! which has a great marching beat with some wicked violins and chanting chorus invoking an old horror movie score.

Spoon – Gimme Fiction

While being a complete alt-rock album, you sure can see a lot of throw backs in this album to classic rock pioneers. The Beast and Dragon Adored (number 3 on my top singles list after Insomnia and Bleeding Hearts Show above) is a brooding, slow burn number but tell me you can’t hear a little John Lennon in the chorus or maybe a little Bob Dylan influence in the chorus of another great number, The Two Sides of Monsieur Valentine. And there’s definitely a Beatles twinge in the lighter rock number of Sister Jack.

Flaming Lips – Ego Tripping at the Gate of Hell [EP]

Ok, so this isn’t new and Yoshimi Battle the Pink Robots came out a while back but in anticipation of their new album coming out in April try out this EP. Rather than just giving you tracks from the larger album, this EP gives you 4 non-album tracks and 3 remixes. Seeing as how we’ve been referencing them so much today let’s start off with the Postal Service remix of Do You Realize??. The remix brings down the music to it’s basic elements, cutting back at just the right time to emphasize the strength of the lyrics. Assasination of the Sun and Sunship Balloons continue the trippy, light theme of the main album. My only real complaint with the album is the back to back remixes of Ego Tripping. It’s a great song and both mixes are excellent but being consecutive makes it too repetitive and I often find myself skipping the 2^nd just cause I’ve already heard the song. But I do recommend coming back and listening to both as they’re worth it.

Alright, so that’s a helluva lot of music thrown at you. All of which should be in your collection. So go try it out. There’s a lot of great stuff out there which you’re not gonna hear on the radio nor see on VH1’s top 20. And since MTV doesn’t do the music thing anymore, you’re better off just not going there. And there’s a lot of new stuff coming out. Josh Radin just put out a new album and Cary Brothers has a new EP. Rhett Miller has a new album out in a few weeks. And by the end of the year we should have some new stuff from Bloc Party, Guster, the Killers, Outkast, Travis, Rooney, hopefully a new Thrills and finally the new Shins album.

Until next time:

“Don't worry about it, baby. We'll just keep trying. Remember that magazine I read about how important it is for the man to have a high-protein diet?”

“Turk, for the last time, you are not eating ribs while we do it.”

“You don't let me have no fun.”