I've been back in class for two whole weeks now, and I've already seen more films than I can keep track of. Avant-garde, early sound films, Hungarian films, films outside of class, films on TV... I take extreme pride in the fact that I haven't fallen asleep -- yet. My eyes are bloodshot, my hands are shaking and I'm kind of afraid I'm going to have to re-start my love-hate relationship with my drug of choice... caffeine.

Don't we have a right to be bitter? We take a whole lot of crap from everyone who tells us we picked an easy major. People who don't know a syuzhet from a fabula; philosophy majors who berate us for not "getting" The Butterfly Effect (heh, just kidding, philosophy majors, you probably hate that film just as much as we do); people who don't have to read page after page after page of film theory. People ask how you can spend 6+ months filming a 15-minute film. Yes, it sometimes feels like a masochistic major, but at the end of the day, I love it and don't mind having to watch an average of two or three films a day. I don't even mind reading what Alan and Gomery have to say about slapstick comedy.

The Ladybug Transistor: "Splendor in the Grass" [MP3]

My Morning Jacket: "Butch Cassidy" [MP3]

The Postal Service: "Clark Gable" [MP3]

Yo La Tengo: "Deeper Into Movies" [MP3]

Art Brut: "Moving to LA" [MP3]
What else are you gonna do before/after grad school?

New Pornographers:"Twin Cinema" [MP3]

Cat Power: "Mr. Gallo" [MP3]
I can't say I'm the biggest fan of this auteur, myself. But some people, Ms. Marshall included, seem to love Buffalo 66.

The Besties: "Western Song" [MP3]
You like John Ford, doncha?

Casper and the Cookies: "Duchamp's Camera" [MP3]
This one's perfect for me, this quarter, as I'm currently taking a course in experimental film.

Bob Dylan: "Motorpsycho Nightmare" [MP3]
This made so much more sense after finally watching Psycho.

Belle & Sebastian: "Like Dylan in the Movies" [MP3]
Kind of perfect, in light of the recent Todd Haynes film.

Math and Physics Club: "Movie Ending Romance" [MP3]

Radiohead: "Exit Music (For a Film)" [MP3]

Hey Mom - Songs For Project Runway...

My mother, a reality TV junkie who literally has never seen a reality TV program she does not like and has not watched, can attest to the fact that I hate HATE hate reality TV. I know, I know, you're sitting there agreeing with me but wondering why I'm wasting my breath uttering an opinion that was en vogue maybe three years ago when reality TV was at its apex (quantity-wise, not quality-wise). And you guys have no idea how much shit (sorry, ma!) she has given me for my newfound devotion to Bravo's Project Runway. I plead the fifth about Rock of Love and The Pickup Artist.

"It's just like American Idol, and you HATE American Idol," she always argues, and at first, I did not have a satisfactory know-it-all answer prepared. And I couldn't quite put my finger on what, for me, sets Project Runway apart from the drudgery that is AI. It's not that the contestants on Idol have bad voices (for the most part, anyways) -- it's just that the show celebrates the mediocrity, particularly in its songwriting, that has become mainstream radio. Chris Daughtry, Carrie "Jesus Take the Wheel" Underwood, Clay Aiken... Catchy? Sure. Disposable? Without a doubt.

The fashion world, as represented in Runway, at least, is different. One notable difference? The contestants are judged and eliminated by industry professionals (not a "Paula"-type figure among them) in a straight-forward manner. There is no number for regular, Levi-wearing, band T-shirt-wearing slobs like you and I to call. And this, I realized, represents one of the chief ideological differences between the two shows: Idol isn't about finding the best or most original singer, it's about finding the one with the most appeal to the biggest number of viewers.

Plus, Runway's contestants don't strive to be likeable or make you cry, a la Idol (or the uber-offensive Extreme Home Makeover). The show's villains (like last season's winner, Jeffrey Sebalia) are fun to watch in action, but the really interesting and compelling part of the show is watching the intricate, sometimes unbelievably wacky outfits coming together. Those without talent get cut, and can't survive on charisma and audience adoration to put them through to the next round.

Anyways, the show is back with a new season (this is #4, if you're counting) on Wednesday night! Check your local listings for more information, I suppose.

LISTEN:
Sam Cooke: "Touch The Hem of His Garment" [MP3]
The Flying Burrito Brothers: "High Fashion Queen" [MP3]
The Wedding Present: "My Favourite Dress" [MP3]
Of Montreal: "Suffer For Fashion" [MP3]
Sufjan Stevens: "That Dress Looks Nice On You" [MP3]
Liz Isenberg: "I Want to Sleep in My Party Dress" [MP3]
Wake The President: "Sorrows For Clothes" [MP3]
Spoon: "Lines In The Suit" [MP3]

ON THE WEB:
Project Runway's website

MIXTAPE: Songs For Pushing Daisies

It's no Six Feet Under, but ABC's new show, Pushing Daisies, is certainly one of the most intriguing and original shows that premiered this October. The show, about a piemaker who is able to raise people from the dead, goes over the top at almost all times with the quirk, but it's not necessarily a bad thing (think Tim Burton, really). The piemaker's managed to raise his long-lost childhood crush from the dead, but he can't touch her, or she'll die again, only this time, it'll be permanent. In any case, it's nice to see a show this offbeat making it onto the air, and should be interesting to see where they go with the premise, assuming it doesn't get canceled first.

You know, I know sitcom/TV writers like to keep the romantic interests apart for as long as possible, but this is gonna be ridiculous!

The Yardbirds: "Psycho Daisies" [MP3]
Jose Gonzalez: "Deadweight on Velveteen" [MP3]
Great Lakes Myth Society: "Days of Apple Pie" [MP3]
Sunny Intervals: "Sixty Seconds To Fall In Love" [MP3]
Golden Smog: "Pecan Pie" [MP3]

MIXTAPE:The Kids Are Alright!

These songs are for them kids! Yep, it's National Children's Day, and it's time to break into song. I don't have like, Raffi or Barney or anything, but these songs are pretty sweet, all the same. Sorry if some of the files are down, my host's been goin' crazy. Time to upgrade? Methinks it is so.

Animal Collective: "Kids on Holiday" [MP3]
The Thrills: "Hollywood Kids" [MP3]
Pants Yell! "Kids Are The Same" [MP3]
Throw Me The Statue: "Conquering Kids" [MP3]
Suburban Kids With Biblical Names: "Little Boys In The Ghetto" [MP3]
The Rumble Strips: "Boys and Girls in Love" [MP3]
Whiskeytown: "Hurts Sometimes (Little Girls) [Demo]" [MP3]
Cat Power: "Colors and the Kids" [MP3]


Oh, and speaking of kids, I certainly can't resist posting on Black Kids! The band made a huge impression on the Athens Pop Fest in August, and they've only been getting more attention since then (a very favorable P-Fork review for their EP?!?). These are some fun, 80s-sounding songs, and the entire Wizard of Ahhhs EP is available on the band's MySpace for free download, if you like what you hear (and you will).

LISTEN:
"I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You" [MP3]
"I Wanna Be Your Limousine" [MP3]

ON THE WEB:
Black Kids' MySpace

MIX: In The Fine Autumn Time

It's been getting colder here in Santa Barbara since I got back from Austin, and as my friends who've been at home for the summer start moving back into Isla Vista, it's becoming clear that it's officially Fall. It even smells like Fall outside, ya know what I mean? Also, I've got a cold, which is a clear indication that the seasons are changing. Vegetable soup! New sweaters! Old sweaters! Hot chocolate! Pumpkin bread! Fall's my favorite season. I'm even sort of looking forward to starting classes, thanks to the chill in the air.

The Spires: "In The Fine Autumn Time" [MP3]**
Sweet, sweet indiepop from nearby Ventura's the Spires.

Irene: "September Skies" [MP3]

Chris Garneau: "Halloween" [MP3]**

Tanakh: "November Tree" [MP3]

My Morning Jacket: "Olde September Blues" [MP3]
The perfect song for Jim James's distant-sounding, downtempo vocals.

The Kinks: "Autumn Almanac" [MP3]

Watercolor Paintings: "Fall" [MP3]**
You better listen to this song. You just better! It's so cute!

The Dreadful Yawns: "November Nights" [MP3]
Alt-country meets indiepop: A blessed union.

Black Bear: "Eve Of The Fall" [MP3]

Everday Sensations: "Listening To The Fall" [MP3]

Jim Bryson: "All The Fallen Leaves" [MP3]

Polaris: "Waiting For October" [MP3]**
That band who did the Pete & Pete theme song are behind this wonderful power pop gem.

MIX: I Would Like You Better If You Had A Job...

America's hardest-working band in uniform.

...Cause you ain't no Picasso! Enjoyed your Labor Day Monday free from work (hopefully)? I know I did (even though I was almost roped into working today - go figure). In celebration of Labor Day, I've compiled a list of work-related songs about some of the best and worst jobs out there. Back on the clock tomorrow. Sigh. Looks like someone's got a case of the Tuesdays.

The Replacements: "Waitress In The Sky" [MP3] -- MORE INFO
Being a flight attendent must not be fun when the Replacements are on board. Or when there are snakes on the plane.

The Eames Era: "Year Of The Waitress" [MP3] -- MORE INFO
Being a waitress on land is tough business too.

Busdriver: "Casting Agents and Cowgirls" [MP3] -- MORE INFO
Who caught this guy's performance at UCSB earlier this year? Here's hoping for another great year of free concerts!

The Mutineers: "Coffee Mug" [MP3] -- MORE INFO
A little ditty for all of the unemployed, of the "I'll get a job soon" school of thought. I know that thought pretty well.

Tesco Chainstore Mascara: "Job Is A Four Letter Word" [MP3] -- MORE INFO
This band = brilliance. Go find their cover of "That Thing You Do!"

Terry Lee Hale: "Work Song" [MP3] -- MORE INFO
I was introduced to Hale's music via Sixeyes, and I'm so glad.

Bishop Allen: "Middle Management" (Demo) [MP3] -- MORE INFO
Bishop Allen at its most frantic and fun.

The Young Tradition: "Whores" [MP3] -- MORE INFO
The world's oldest profession. It's really a lovely song... not at all what you'd expect from the title.

Mix: Cowboys and Sunsets

What is it about the Wild West that's so cool? I mean, it's obviously not America's legacy of mistreatment and mischaracterization of the Native American peoples, or perpetuation of tired gender stereotypes... but there really is something to the mystique of the cowboy and the old frontier. I lived in Nebraska for a couple of years when I was a kid, and while I can say it was absolutely boring there, driving out into the open, red plains or mesas as the sun was going down was breathtaking (and I'm a city kinda girl at heart, so this is not an exaggeration), almost like traveling back in time. A lonely but profoundly beautiful sort of place and state of mind.

Gene Autry: "I've Always Been A Rambler" [MP3] -- MORE INFO
The original cowboy to get things going.

Blue Mountain: "Dead End Street" [MP3] -- MORE INFO

The Dying Californian: "On The Lam" [MP3] -- MORE INFO

The Dreadful Yawns: "Candles" [MP3] -- MORE INFO

Candle: "The Wind Out There" [MP3] -- MORE INFO

Del Reeves: "I'm A Long Way From Home" [MP3] -- MORE INFO

The Wallflowers: "Another One In The Dark" [MP3] -- MORE INFO
Who knew the Wallflowers used to be so deliciously country-influenced?

Johnny Cash: "Heart of Gold" (Neil Young cover) [MP3] -- MORE INFO

Neko Case: "We've Never Met" [MP3] -- MORE INFO
Some serious twang going on here. Neko at her country-best.

Rilo Kiley: "More Adventurous" [MP3] -- MORE INFO
Jenny Lewis begins her fascination with her more country sound.

Jolie Holland: "Moonshiner" [MP3] -- MORE INFO

Frankie Laine: "Moonlight Gambler" [MP3] -- MORE INFO

Mark Olson: "National Express" [MP3] -- MORE INFO
Former Jayhawks founder goes solo.

Ed Bruce: "The Last Cowboy Song" [MP3] -- MORE INFO

Frightening First Date Songs (So Crazy In Love!)

So your blind date pulls up in his (or her) car (maybe it's a beat-up blue and tan Astro van, the kind kidnappers use, maybe it's a Jag, I don't know how you roll), gets out and rings your doorbell. I don't know, I guess he's (or she's) cute enough, you exchange pleasantries, and you get into their car. The small talk's going alright, you're not feeling too awkward... until they pop in a burned CD they've made especially for the occasion... I now give you 10 songs that'll get you scrambling to open the car door and jump out. Some are about creeps, some are about the crazy things people do for love, and others... well, others are just plain creepy. Feel free to mention some of your own.

Radiohead: "Creep" [MP3] -- MORE INFO
This one's pretty obvious, self-explanatory... a real creeping classic.

Amy LaVere: "Killing Him" [MP3] -- MORE INFO
For fans of undying love: "Killing him didn't make the love go away."

The Avett Brothers: "Die Die Die" [MP3] -- MORE INFO

Marbles: "Death My Bride" [MP3] -- MORE INFO

The Village Green: "When The Creepers Creep In" [MP3] -- MORE INFO

Pixies: "Is She Weird" [MP3] -- MORE INFO
Though if they're listening to the Pixies, you should probably stick around.

Hello Saferide: "High School Stalker" [MP3] -- MORE INFO
The happiest song about a stalker you'll EVER hear. It really is charming.

Bishop Allen: "Psycho Killer" (Talking Heads) [MP3] -- MORE INFO
Awesome song, though. "Run run run run run run run awaaaaay!"

We Are Scientists: "The Creeper" [MP3] -- MORE INFO

Clay Aiken: "Invisible" [MP3] -- MORE INFO
Probably the creepiest of the bunch, in my estimation. All-around winner. This is actually a fake link. If you REALLY want it, I'm sure it's within your power to find it.