Maybe Now I'll Get In Her Pants

Guster has made a cute animated video for One Man Wrecking Machine, their excellent new tune from their upcoming CD Ganging Up On the Sun. Me gusta Guster. Amen.

Nothing Sings Like a Sad Refrain

I simply cannot stop listening to Jon Auer's new CD. It's a classic. Every song is worth every second. Rave rave rave. Download one of the best on it: Six Feet Under.

Show Us All How to Shine

The new Mike Viola (he of Candy Butchers semi-fame) is now available on iTunes. Just Before Dark is full of brand new solo material that he recorded acoustically at LA's Largo club, the same club Jon Brion plays every Friday night. Haven't heard it yet, but I've rarely been disappointed in his output.

Subsistin' on that Same Old Bread

Zzzzzzzz.....oh, sorry - just fell asleep listening to Live's latest, Songs From Black Mountain.

The album isn't bad, but it's just not that exciting. There aren't even any standout tracks. Every song is a solid 3 rating. It's certainly no Mental Jewelry or Throwing Copper. Not even close. About on par with their last couple of albums. Enjoyable, but unexciting. Even the album cover art is boring and looks like 1/2 of the artwork produced for their singles and albums.

The band has also mellowed quite a bit over the years. The edge is still there, but it's not as sharp. As evidence, they appeared on American Idol tonight. :-)

I'm a big fan and would like just about anything they release, but this one was disappointing for me.

My Baby's Tied to a Chair

Enough about the Raconteurs and Jack White. Let's focus on some solo Brendan Benson. I remember falling in love with Sittin' Pretty (download it here) back in my radio days. It took a listener to call in to suggest the lyrics may not be as friendly as he made them to sound. Still, a delightful listen every time. Benson is as too poppy as they come.

We All Want To Be Big Stars

How the Counting Crows descended to Smash Mouth-esque depths of irrelevancy. Great read for August and Everything After fans.

I Came in Here for that Special Offer

Now you can hear Ben Folds pulling a Randy Newman by soundtracking an animated movie. Stream the full Over the Hedge Soundtrack at AOL. A reworked Rockin' the Suburbs is an interesting choice considering the original's less-than-kid-friendly lyrics. Any excuse to use William Shatner I guess.

Previously...

Is It Any Wonder?

Stream the new Keane here. Man, I'm underwhelmed. Why would a guitarless band try so hard to sound driven by guitar? Stereogum calls it second-rate U2. He must be feeling charitable today.

I'm Gonna Fly To the Moon

Paul - Heather = expectations for dark, angry music

Keep Me Closer Don't You Let Me Go

Wow. Didn't expect it to be soooo good, but the new Jon Auer solo CD Songs From the Year of Our Demise is just that. And it blows away anything he's done with the Posies and Big Star recently. It's delightfully mellow and calming, simply the perfect album for my life right now. It might be yet another song with "sun" in the title, but Sundown is nearly perfect itself (I'm a sucker for well-used sha-la-las). Seek this one out, even if you're a casual Posies fan. Not Lame has it of course with previews, but it's a bit pricey. Haven't seen it pop up on iTunes yet.

Auer is an "underrated guitarist ... in top form here" according to this review.

Also, did you know Queen Latifah was a Posies fan? Neither did I.

Your Friends Have Shown a Kink in the Single Life

Apple sticks to its guns and keeps iTunes tunes at $.99.

Speaking of iTunes, the free download this week is the steady as it goes Steady, As She Goes by the Raconteurs, featuring Brendan Benson and Jack White getting all acousticky. Get it while she's free.

And finally, coming soon to the iTunes Music Store near you ... Des Moines music?!

Go Home and Stop Grinning at Everyone

Radiohead to tour the Americas of the North! Road trip to Chi-town anyone?

Listen Up To My New CD, Sham On

Ben Folds is releasing new music. How about that?

So, another Internet-only EP? Nope.

Ok, a new single from Songs for Silverman? Nah.

Hmm, did he do something else with Shatner? Sorta.

Oh, so he's releasing five new tunes on the soundtrack to the animated movie Over the Hedge, which will include a special version of Rockin' the Suburbs featuring Capt. Kirk and a cover of the classic Clash tune Lost in the Supermarket? Naturally. And you can pre-order a copy here and get it autographed. Spiffy. If you're a bum, you can wait until it's in stores May 16.

UPDATE: sure enough, the autographed copies are gone (I get the email from Mr. Folds today telling me to pre-order and check the damn site tonight to find out the autographed ones are all gone - figures), but you can get an AWESOME mini-poster of Over the Hedge. It'll come in the form of a goddamned non-autographed booklet that'll fit neatly into the jewel box that will also hold the CD. Holy shit, what will they think of next?