“A Million Things You Can Eat That Aren’t Cheese”

Oh, world. You earth people and your Kanye obsession. It’s so quaint. That said, this list isn’t total suckballz. Of all the ones I’ve suffered through so far this month, this one had me gagging the least. But there was gagging, to be sure.

Wow, she sounds horrible. (and I’m saying that as a tireless /\/\/\Y/\ apologist.) The Specials sound great, though. Shame she couldn’t pull it off.

What about Joan Jett? I mean, she’s no LL Cool J, but…

I’m loving this album, and feeling a bit spoiled because I’m one of those weirdos who also really liked the “All Delighted People” e.p., though I feel kind of silly calling it an e.p. when you could fit at least a couple of full-length Weezer albums into the length of it. My faves thus far are Now That I’m Older and I Want To Be Well, though the whole album is working for me. The bleeps and bloops at times feel like clutter, and at other times they feel like harmless ornamentation, and at other times still they punctuate the mood of the song perfectly. At worst, I pay little mind to the electronic frills on this album – they’re pretty inobtrustive to me, for the most part. My least favorite tracks thus far are “Get Real Get Right” (which I still like; it’s just a hard song to snuggle up to) and the title track, which sounds to me like an Arcade Fire song…which is great if I’m listening to an Arcade Fire album. The last song, my god – it’s an amusement park. The few incidents in which I’ve had enough time to listen to the whole song in one sitting, I feel as though this one song could well have been an e.p. in and of itself. It’s rare to pull off a track this long that remains entertaining throughout, but this one pulls it off. It’s not to say that “Impossible Soul” couldn’t use a haircut, but it’s just fine as its shaggy self.

I pre-ordered a copy via AK when Age of Adz was first offered for pre-sale, so they already made my dollars before Amazon had a chance to get to me. If they continue to snag fans earlier than the “corporate entities” and with sweet deals like an advance mp3 copy followed by the CD upon release date(with low S&H, mind you), then I’ll keep directing my credit card toward Asthmatic Kitty. (In other words, at least among fans I don’t think they have lots to worry about.)

CocoRosie always makes me think of the twins from The Shining. If those little girls had grown up and decided to make music together, this’d be them. And even though they’re sometimes a little too shrill, too meandering, and sometimes generally too “out-there” for my tastes (and I’m being generous compared to most of my friends on whom I’ve unsuccessfully subjected CocoRosie), I continue to give them a chance with each new album. Why? I think no matter what hits my ears, they’re going to give me a jolt. I’m not going to be hearing the status quo. I’m going to be challenged. Sometimes that challenge is going to keep right on going over my head and into the clouds, but I know I won’t be bored. Sometimes…usually…okay, most of the time, that’s what I want from music. Other artists add some sugar or honey, but CocoRosie choose to serve up their brand of crazy raw and ungilded. It’s not something I could make a steady diet of, but every now and again it’s exactly what I need to hear. Are they pretentious? I don’t know. Sure? Does that always have to be a bad thing?

Oh wait, he was cremated and stitched into a teddy bear, if I remember correctly. Kurt must be yawning in his teddy bear belly.

Achtung Baby spawned some classic singles, but there is filler on that album. Maybe not if you’re a hardcore U2 fan, but to the casual listener, there’s fat on that cow. Prince’s SOTT is a songwriting masterpiece, sure, but not the all-time classic that Purple Rain was. Kudos to Spin (I guess?) for freshening up the usual suspects in these lists, but if you have to start nominating substitute “all time best albums” because everyone’s tired of the same old showhorses, that might be a sign that it’s time to quit re-making this list.