Four-Banger

TABLED: Definitely check out the representations of the elements on the Periodic Table illustrated in a cool graphic art style here – I would definitely buy it as a poster (link via BoingBoing)

SBA: Forbes’ Ten Least Profitable Businesses To Start - ­hope you've already got your biz up and running!

CRUNCHY: Order your own personal granola bar at­ YouBar ­– you customize the ingredients, wrapper and model name - for a price!

DAMN: Download an acoustic version of The Damnwells' new track, “Down With TheShip” over at I Am Fuel, You Are Friends here

Photo Credit

Gig on Friday!

Don't forget - my band, Jeter is playing at Bistro Europa in Old Town Alexandria this Friday, February 1st to kick off this Groundhog Day/Super Bowl weekend. We'll be rocking from 10-12, and our friends PARTYNOW will be jamming from midnight until closing. As usual, there's no cover, so come on out, and bring your friends!

MP3: Lay Down - Jeter

Poster design by LeeHead

Four-Banger

ENDORSED: Some “celebrities” put their faces on some interesting products…

C-LOAD: I’m digging the 70s soul vibe of the new Gnarls Barkley track “Run” – go stream it here

LUMET: “With Pacino, the talent is so extraordinary. But it breaks my heart. He’s one of those actors – Philip Seymour Hoffman is like this too – who, if the scene is about anger, he has to stay angry all day. I mean off camera, over lunch, everything. You pay a price for them.” an interesting quote by director Sidney Lumet in a Oscar-related interview with Entertainment Weekly.

WORLD: Stereogum’s got the new video for “Always Be,” one of my favorite tracks of the new Jimmy Eat World CD, right here. How….educational.

Matt Nathanson on Conan Tonight

If you’re gonna be staying up late tonight anyway, check out Matt Nathanson and his band on Conan O’Brien – they’ll be rocking out on “Car Crash,” from his new album, Some Mad Hope. Matt’ll be in town at the 9:30 Club on April 4th with Lifehouse. Check out a live acoustic version of “Car Crash below…

MP3: Car Crash (Jammin Java, VA 4/3/06) - Matt Nathanson

Mieka Pauley's "Secret"

Cambridge's Mieka Pauley just put out a video to her Fiona Apple-ish sounding track "Secret." Pretty cool video.

Gig @ Bistro Europa This Friday

My band, Jeter will be back at Bistro Europa in Old Town Alexandria this Friday, February 1st - you know, a little something to kick off your Groundhog Day/Super Bowl weekend right. And our friends PARTYNOW will be joining us. We’ll be rocking from 10-12, and PARTYNOW will carry on from midnight until closing. As usual, there's no cover, so come on out, and bring your friends!

MP3: Lay Down - Jeter

Poster design by LeeHead

Threefer

FIFTY: LEGOS are turning fifty, kids! Check out the cool timeline!

REUNION: Slash says there’s gonna be a Stone Temple Pilots reunion this summer…does anyone really care?

HALLELUJAH: I’m really digging Kaki Mendoza’s stark, beautiful cover of “Hallelujah” on her MySpace page here

Live Archives Sunday Mix

Yeah, it's a lazy Sunday, with no football, so it's a perfect excuse for a little mixtape of random live selections from Live Archive. Enjoy.

MP3: Allison Road (Canyon Club, CA 1/24/03) – Gin Blossoms
MP3: Wake Up Call (Kleine Elserhalle, Munich 4/28/07) – Maroon 5
MP3: Spaceship (The Funk Box, Baltimore 5/14/04) – Angie Aparo
MP3: She Hung The Moon (Jammin Java, VA 7/21/06 – Rockwell Church
MP3: Get In The Car And Drive (Schuba’s, Chicago 4/11/06) – Blu Sanders
MP3: Whole Again (The Point, PA 5/29/03) - Granian

Alison Krauss...and Phish

Though angel-voiced Alison Krauss has recently gotten a bit of attention as a result of her vocal hook-up with Robert Plant, the album Raising Sand, I prefer her underrated duet with Trey Anastasio and the guys from Phish,the beautiful track “If I Could,” from Hoist (1994). Just saying...

MP3: If I Could - Phish

Four-Banger

QUICKIE: Shelby SuperCars’ Ultimate Aero is now the fastest production car in the world

AGAIN: AV Club has got an interview with Glen Hansard (the lead actor in Once and the front man of The Frames) right here

YUM-O: Find out just how likely it is you’d eat your buddies if you were stranded in a blizzard right here. I’m 44% likely.

FLASH: Pete over at Ickmusic has got a rollicking live Rolling Stones show from Brussels, Belgium, 10/17/1973 up here

Once - "Falling Slowly"

I finally saw the movie Once, and it was a good little film - a little bit sweet, a little bit sad, just as I like 'em. And the musical chemistry between Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova is excellent. Here's their beautiful duet "Falling Slowly."

Threefer

BOND: Uhhhh…the new Bond movie is called Quantum of Solace?

DRAFT: For most NFL fans, our teams’ seasons are over – so it’s time to start focusing on the college draft – check out SI’s Don Banks mock draft, version 1.0

NEW MUSIC x 2: Matthew Ryan is streaming some tunes from his new CD that’s coming out in April & Hotspur has got a new track on their MySpace page here

Gig Advance Notice

A little advance notice - My band, Jeter will be back at Bistro Europa in Old Town Alexandria Friday, February 1st (that's next week) - you know, a little something to kick off your Groundhog Day/Super Bowl weekend right. And our friends PARTYNOW will be joining us. We’ll be rocking from 10-12, and PARTYNOW will carry on from midnight until closing. As usual, there's no cover, so come on out, and bring your friends!

MP3: Lay Down - Jeter

Poster design by LeeHead

Threefer

GERMAN VISION: So maybe you can’t afford that Porsche 911 Carrera, but you can still read in German-engineered comfort with your own pair of Porsche reading glasses

MORE MALIN: I’ve really loved Jesse Malin’s album Glitter In The Gutter, so I’m intrigued about his releasing a new album of covers (titled On Your Sleeve) – Read and hear more over at I Am Fuel, You Are Friends here

METAL HEALTH: Eat sushi, get mercury. A lot of mercury, apparently.

Kimya Dawson @ Crooked Beat Records 1/23

Singer-songwriter Kimya Dawson, who's got several songs on the Juno soundtrack, is going to be playing a set at Crooked Beat Records in DC this Wednesday, January 23rd at 7:00.

MP3: Loose Lips - Kimya Dawson

The Roosevelt

Indie-popsters The Roosevelt (not after a prez, but a building) will be playing out in DC this weekend. Which has given me a perfect excuse to chance to catch up on their tracks. I’m definitely digging the singalong chorus of the catchy “Codeine Cure.” You can check out The Roosevelt live this Saturday in DC at the Rock & Roll Hotel with Gary B & The Notions, Kitty Hawk and The Beanstalk Library.

MP3: Codeine Cure – The Roosevelt
MP3: Elliott – The Roosevelt

Threefer

NOMS: Oscar nominations have been announced

SHARKS: Here’s Blender’s 33 Things You Should Know About Led Zeppelin – perhaps you already know them already…

SHADOWS: Stereogum has got a new Joseph Arthur track “Rages of Babylon” here

Bellman Barker @ Black Cat Saturday

Lately I’ve been digging the 60s Brit-pop sound of DC’s Bellman Barker. You can check out a couple of their tracks below (I’m especially liking “Pockets”), and if you like what you hear, go catch ‘em live at the Black Cat this Saturday, January 26th with Jukebox the Ghost and Pash. Additionally, Instrumental Analysis has got an interview with the guys from BB (plus an additional track) right here.

MP3: Molly Maroon – Bellman Barker
MP3: Pockets – Bellman Barker

Photo: Shervin Lainez

Enter The Haggis

CC and I went to a Robert Burns party last night. I knew there would be an opportunity for me to pop my haggis cherry, so I was nervously psyched. The steaming grey-ish lump of stuffed intestines was paraded out, and Burns verse was read to it in Scottish brogue. It kind of looked like meatloaf, actually. A silver dagger was plunged into it for the ceremonial first cut, causing a bit of steam to rise and a trickle of juices to dribble out. I finally summoned up the courage to take a very small piece. The verdict? Tasted like a saltier meatloaf, with a slightlier odder smell.

Threefer

STRAIGHT UP? Paula Abdul has got a new track on Randy Jackson’s Music Club Volume 1 – and Bring Me Up has it here - And you thought Britney’s vocals were distorted…

GONE COUNTRY: American Idol cast-off Phil Stacey has joined the cowboy hat and boots masses for his latest track, “If You Didn’t Love Me” (thanks, CC)

CRUNCH: Cracked’s 5 Most Horrifying Bugs In The World – because you have nothing better to do than to look at 'em. Admit it.

Pic credit

Marah, Self-Destructed

Sadly, pretty much my favorite band, Marah, has broken up and their tour's been canceled) - well, to be exact, the drummer, bassist, and lead guitarist have left. The band has had a few line-up changes in the past, yes, but I think this cast of players surrounding the Bielanko brothers (save for the unnecessary keyboardist) has been its strongest. Anyway, here's Marah playing "Angels of Destruction" on Conan a few nights ago...

Exit Clov - MK ULTRA

I'm digging Exit Clov's cool new video for "MK Ultra." Gotta love those gas masks and handclaps. They'll be at the Rock and Roll Hotel February 1st.

Threefer, Part Two

CLAMATO: Does Clamato really need Budweiser? Apparently so…

ROAR: Tired of your Razr broadcasting “Crank That” every time you get a phone call? Well, now the National Zoo is selling ringtones made from the sounds of their animals.

POO: It’s The Bristol Stool Chart - I just couldn't resist

The 305

"The Office" meets "The 300" in parody form...

Threefer

DAMN: The Damnwells have another new acoustic track, “Down With The Ship” up on their MySpace site here

WAVING: All the world’s flags, graded by design here (that's Burundi above) – it’s an interesting read, really!

BEEFY: So in the future, if you happen to really really enjoy a piece of steak, you just might be able to eat that same cow again…

Afterparty With Hot Hot Heat & Louis XIV

There will be an official afterparty tonight (Tuesday the 15th) at DC9 with Hot Hot Heat and Louis XIV – both bands will be in the house after they finish their sets opening up for Editors at the 9:30 Club. They’ll also be previewing the new Louis XIV album which will be dropping on 1/29.

Peyton Manning on SNL

Looks like Peyton Manning's not going to the Super Bowl, but he sure can make a funny skit - I never did get to check out his appearance on SNL awhile back, but better late than never...

Twofer

INSTITUTIONALIZED: Stephen Colbert donates his portrait to…the Smithsonian? Take a look

EAT: See what people are eating when they fly – this site has pictures of airline meals uploaded by passengers from all around the world...Yum-O!

No Second Troy - "Into Your Sun"

No Second Troy's track "Brighten Up" was #7 in my Top Sixteen Tracks of the Year - You can catch them live at Black Cat in DC this Friday, January 11th w/ The Vita Ruins and Lejeune. And in the meantime, you can check out their video here for "Into the Sun."

Threefer

GALORE: How can you not help yourself and go read Cracked’s list of The 15 Most Cringe-Worthy Bond Puns

ART: I have a nagging suspicion that I’ve seen the 27 Most Hilarious Album Covers of All-Time before – but that doesn’t make them any less funny

RESERVED: If you’ve been enjoying Anthony Bourdain’s series, No Reservations, check out this A.V. Club interview with him here

Sweet Child of Mine...Indian Style

Check out this very short and pretty cool classical Indian version of Sweet Child o' Mine on sitar and tabla.

Postage to Kill

What better way for Britain’s Royal Mail to celebrate Ian Fleming’s 100th birthday than to issue a set of stamps featuring his most famous creation, James Bond. The stamps will feature original cover artwork from different Bond novels, and they will be available in different denominations.

Threefer

BARE: If you’ve got the cojones, the No Pants Subway Ride will be happening here on DC’s Metro this Saturday, January 15th – better hope it’s warm…

LIVE: Heather over at I Am Fuel, You Are Friends has got a very nice live U2 show up (San Jose, 4/20/2001) – check it out here

MORBIDITY: This site, The Death Report, tells you how many people died (including which famous ones in particular) and which disasters occurred on any particular day (thanks, Pete)

Matthew Ryan Demos

As you may or may not know, I'm a big fan of singer-songwriter Matthew Ryan. Back in the day, around 2002, he released two albums of demos and home-recordings available only through mail-order (Dissent From the Living Room and Hopeless to Hopeful). They're stripped down, and a bit rough. They're no longer available, but they're worth a listen for the MR fan - and Ear Candies has both CDs posted here (with MR's blessing).

Fourfer

STI: The new Subaru Impreza WRX STI – it packs a lot of punch

CHEDDAR: The cheesiest love songs, as selected by RedEye (complete w/ videos!) – and yeah, you know “Open Arms” has got to be in there

CUTIE: A little info on the upcoming Deathcab For Cutie Album (May 2008 release), along with the video teaser

H20: Chocolatemint water? Yes, it’s arrived

Jesse Malin - Don't Let Them Take You Down

I got Jesse Malin's "Glitter In The Gutter" album for Xmas from CC (I don't know why I hadn't purchased it before), and I've really been digging it. Nice tight guitar rockers without a lot of fat. Check out the video to "Don't Let Them Take You Down."

The Package Shark

I hate those plastic blister packages that house electronic gadgets with a passion, and opening them pisses me off to no end. They really seem to be almost unopenable. So the other day I was actually tempted to buy a gadget that I saw advertised on TV - the Package Shark - supposedly it specializes in opening said packaging. Wonder if it really works...

Fourfer

WHAT? Yeah, today’s CDs are getting louder and louder – check out “The Death of High Fidelity” in Rolling Stone

TOWER: Renowned chef Alain Ducasse has opened another high-end French restaurant where it’ll be quite easy for diners to look down their noses at the masses outside…since they’ll be dining at the top of the Eiffel Tower

GONE: If you’re going to die, now you can be buried in an “environmentally-friendly” fashion

BEST OF: Largehearted Boy has aggregated a ton of the music blogosphere’s "best of 2007” list links here – go check ‘em out

The Sweet Sixteen: My Favorite Tracks of 2007 (#1-5)

Alright, and now for my favorite five tracks of the year, more or less...

5. For Science Fiction – Maritime
It’s nice and punchy pop (love those drums and vox), with just a touch of spiritualality...or a questioning thereof.

4. Umbrella – Scott Simons
I’ll take Simons’ mellower, electronic rendition of the precipitation shelter over Rhianna’s version. It’s easier to appreciate the beauty of the song’s lyrics and melody, and I also like how he reduces that certain vocal tic into more of an echo-echo-echo…

3. Joni – Julian Velard
I’ve been digging Julian Velard’s smoky baritone and keyboard stylings a bunch this year, and “Joni” is no exception - it’s a wonderful piece of pop, complete with quirky arrangements and lyrics that keep you listening.

2. Love Song – Sara Bareilles
It’s piano pop perfection with Sara Bareilles' amazing vocals. One listen, and you’ll be singing it in your head all day.

1. Stronger – Kanye West
Kanye brings us hip-hop from the future by way of a Daft Punk sample from the past. And a pretty tacky pair of white shades. It’s slammin’. My top single of the year.

The Sweet Sixteen: My Favorite Tracks of 2007 (#6-10)

The countdown resumes with numbers 6-10, in descending order to prolong the suspense. 1-5 tomorrow...

10. Girlfriend (remix) – Avril Lavigne f/ Lil Mama
Avril’s overly bratty pop + Lil Mama’s wicked flow = better than the original ever was.

9. Built To Last - Melee
Unabashedly melodic pop, with hooks flying all over the place.

8. Wait For You – Elliott Yamin
And lo and behold, my favorite R&B song this year comes from Elliott Yamin? Yep. “Wait For You” is Brian McKnight-ish, catchy, and it’s smooth as butter

7. Brighten Up – No Second Troy
This modern rock gem is my favorite local single from this year. It takes its moody beginnings and then bursts into a very cool pre-chorus/chorus progression. Yeah, it’s probably a little overproduced, but gloriously so.

6. Car Crash – Matt Nathanson
Matt Nathanson cranks up the electric guitar here with a lurching, urgent rocker - and I want more...