13 songs I've been listening to lately

I don't have anything particularly funny or insightful to offer about a bridge collapsing -- I'm just surprised it doesn't happen more often. And there is absolutely nothing else going on. Slowest day of the year, as far as I'm concerned.

That leaves me stuck waiting for Lohan to start taking hostages. Or for the details of the midget fighting room buried deep under Michael Vick's Bad Newz Kennel to finally come out. So it couldn't be a better time for JSB's semi bi-monthly playlist. Now aided by the website Hype Machine, which, by searching music blogs, allows you to listen to just about any song you want to sample. Although I still recommend finding a cut-rate Russian or Eastern European online music store and putting the songs on the hard drive.

Little Lover's So Polite Silversun Pickups Carnavas
Cool sound. I did think it was the girl singing until the girl started singing.

Closing Time Leonard Cohen The Future
While Cohen is most acclaimed for his work in the 70s, his stuff from the 80s and the 90s might be better. In his tale of searching for love as last call approaches, he offers up this classic line: "She's a hundred but she's wearing something tight."

To Live And Die In The Airport Lounge My Teenage Stride Ears Like Golden Bats
The jangliest of jangle pop.

Double Vision The Ponys Turn The Lights Out
The most straight forward rock and roll will stand out these days.

New Frontier Donald Fagen The Nightfly
With its irreverent take on bomb shelters, this should have been a Steely Dan song. As it stands, it sounds more like his past and current band than any other of Fagen's solo efforts.

Fear Of Drowning British Sea Power Decline Of British Sea Power
I like a band that sticks to a theme.

Big John Shaft Belle and Sebastian Story Telling
I'm prepared to say it: Belle and Sebastian are currently the best band in the world and by a good margin. This song, from a failed movie soundtrack, shows the depth of their stellar catalog.

Snake Mistakes Dan Deacon Spiderman of the Rings
I think this is what they are calling "math rock"

Song Against Sex Neutral Milk Hotel On Avery Island
I linked to a live version. If you want to hear the studio version, I found this video on Yotube, in which a couple self-described "morons" perform very low grade Jackass-type stunts with the song in the background. They are able to sufficiently prove that they are morons -- and not particularly interesting morons. But credit to their taste in music.

Watch The Tapes LCD Soundsystem Sound of Silver
Still not sold on the album, but I've warmed to this song

Arbuckle's Swan Song Ambulance Ltd. New English EP
Promising band with a studied, retro sound. They need to put out a new proper length album and get famous.

The Underdog Spoon Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
Not a huge Spoon fan, but they do have some good songs. I wonder how they came to the decision that five is the proper amount of Ga's for an album title.

Tweeter And The Monkey Man The Traveling Willburys Volume One
Dylan effortlessly spoofs his buddy Springsteen -- and comes out with a darn good song in the process.