Everybody's crapping their pants over these Grizzly Bear people. I dunno. I haven't listened to them nearly enough to form an opinion. But as far as covers go, I like this one. First of all, they didn't just take a song and re-record it, as most covers tend to do. The combination of the vocals and the tempo at which they are sung make my loins shake. I'm not kidding. My loins are shaking right now. Plus, they kind of sound like they're dead. 7.5/10
I'm The Man Who Murdered Love - XTC
When it comes to talking about some of the great bands of all-time, XTC doesn't get mentioned all that much. Well, they do, but not enough. I'm here to represent for some XTC. Also, I can really relate to the title. 7/10
The Sun Shines Down on Me - Daniel Johnston
Yes. This is one of my favorite Daniel Johnston songs. It might be my #1 favorite, but that's like asking me which Anna Paquin movie is my favorite. As far as Johnston goes, this is one of his more complex and coherent songs. When he sings "And the sun shines down on me, I think I almost deserve it", I want to raise my fist and go to war for him. 8/10
Broken - Jeremy Broomfield
Well, holy shit. Jeremy was just talking about this song to me the other day, and I couldn't place it. I'd listened to the album several times, and I like it a lot, but for some reason I just couldn't get it in my head. That's a shame. This is a good song. And Jeremy is a good man. 8/10. (And no, that's not the Friend Rate.)
Get Behind Me, Santa - Sufjan Stevens
Further proof that Sufjan Stevens can make pretty much make anything sound really, really gay. As an exercise, I tried to think of the most stereotypically masculine things one could write a song about, and guess what Sufjan would call the song were he to write one. Here's what I came up with:
Brett Favre Takes the Snap from Center and Splits the Defense with a Cunning Swing Out to the Right!
To the Woman Whose Birth Canal Accepted My Fist as I Ate Frito Pie off Her Sister's Breasts, You Took It So Well
Concerning the Pork Loins I Smothered in a Sweet, Tangy Sauce Over A Fiery Bed of Charred Wood, Which Were So Delicious
6/10 for making me think outside the box.
Girlfriend in a Coma - The Smiths
It's a girlfriend. It's a coma. Two great tastes that taste great together! "She's not gonna pull through, right? I mean, she's done. That means I'm free to go. Right? No. I don't want to see her." I laugh at evil things. And, like Morrissey, I've recently taken a vow of celibacy. 7/10
I'm Bound to Pack It Up - The White Stripes
When DeStijl came out, I played it for my girlfriend at the time and said "See, this is what I want to sound like.", which was met with a "meh". Meh. 6/10
The Ballad of Johnny Burma - Mission of Burma
I said my mother's dead Well I don't care about it I said my father's dead! Well I don't care about it! It happens anyway!
I said my baby twists She twists the night away! I swear she twists so good And then she turned to me!
I swear King of Carrot Flowers by Neutral Milk Hotel is Johnny' Burma's sister song.
I would have been in Mission of Burma, if I were old enough. 9/10
Dog on Wheels - Belle and Sebastian
Last Friday I saw a three-legged greyhound hopping down the street. Man, that just ain't right. 6.5/10
Game Shows Touch Our Lives - The Mountain Goats (Live @ Bowery Ballroom, 10-01-06)
This is exactly what I wanted to be when I grew up. But that was a long time ago. 10/10. Because it's perfect.
That's a 7.5 for those of you keeping score at home.
