This is My Favorite Song

“Black and Tan Fantasy” by Duke Ellington...

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 11:32:23 -0800

“Black and Tan Fantasy” by Duke Ellington (1927).

“You’ve got to find some way of saying it without saying it.” — Duke Ellington

“Cannibal Resource” by Dirty Projectors from Bitte...

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 12:41:20 -0800

“Cannibal Resource” by Dirty Projectors from Bitte Orca (2009).

ADVENTURES IN RECENTLY ACQUIRED VINYL:

Purchased at: Amoeba Music, Hollywood, CA

Price: $14.99

Also purchased: Deerhunter’s Cryptograms (2007), Grizzly Bear’s Veckatimest (2009), and Panda Bear’s Person Pitch (2007).

Bottom line: You don’t get more hipster than that. Yikes.

“Earth Angel” by The Penguins (1954). This one goes...

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:48:00 -0800

“Earth Angel” by The Penguins (1954).

This one goes out to all of you who were at Hill Valley High’s Enchantment Under The Sea Dance. Can you believe it was 54 years ago? So many memories…

“Jack-Ass” by Beck from Odelay (1996). A HAIKU...

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:47:00 -0800

“Jack-Ass” by Beck from Odelay (1996).

A HAIKU ABOUT BECK:

Hey, remember Beck?

That guy used to be so good.

What the hell happened?

“That’s Entertainment” by The Jam from Sound...

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:37:05 -0800

“That’s Entertainment” by The Jam from Sound Affects (1980).

(NOT SO MUCH) FUN WITH ANAGRAMS: THE JAM

Ham Jet
Jam The

“Let Her Dance” by The Bobby Fuller Four...

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:23:26 -0800

“Let Her Dance” by The Bobby Fuller Four (1965).

The forgotten pop masterpiece that ends Fantastic Mr. Fox.

“VCR” by The xx from xx (2009). Today marks my...

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:43:00 -0800

“VCR” by The xx from xx (2009).

Today marks my first step to becoming a music supervisor. Watch Lie to Me on Fox tonight at 9 pm to see/hear how I used this song in the episode. This is the first time one of my suggestions has made it to air. It’s also the first time I’ve suggested a song, so I’m batting 1.000.

“Pueblo Nuevo” by Buena Vista Social Club from Buena...

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 12:24:12 -0800

“Pueblo Nuevo” by Buena Vista Social Club from Buena Vista Social Club (1997).

FILE UNDER: Things my Dad used to play on Sundays.

“For Reverend Green” by Animal Collective from...

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 14:14:46 -0800

“For Reverend Green” by Animal Collective from Strawberry Jam (2007).

FUN WITH ANAGRAMS: ANIMAL COLLECTIVE

Evil Llama Conceit
A Climatic Novelle
Acclimation Level
Vaccinate Ill Mole
Allocate Civil Men
Vanilla Lice Comet
Volcanic Metal Lie
Mice Volt Alliance
Clinical Love Team
Metallic Cave Lion

“The Tracks of My Tears” by Smokey Robinson &...

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:52:00 -0800

“The Tracks of My Tears” by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles from Going To a Go-Go (1965).

SMOKEY ROBINSON SONG OR LIFETIME MOVIE?

Hanging On By a Thread
The Only One I Love
Taking Back My Life
You Belong To Me Forever
A Child’s Cry
And I Don’t Love You
Precious Little Things
Untamed Love
That Day When She Needed Me
She Was Taking My Baby

“Muswell Hillbilly” by The Kinks from Muswell...

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:45:32 -0800

“Muswell Hillbilly” by The Kinks from Muswell Hillbillies (1971).

I’m a Muswell Hillbilly boy.

“Her Eyes are a Blue Million Miles” by Captain...

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:33:00 -0800

“Her Eyes are a Blue Million Miles” by Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band from Clear Spot (1972).

FILE UNDER: Songs featured in The Big Lebowski.

SEE ALSO:

“Mucha Muchacha” by Esquivel (1962)
“Dead Flowers” by Townes Van Zandt (1993)

“Strange Powers” by The Magnetic Fields from Holiday...

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:58:11 -0800

“Strange Powers” by The Magnetic Fields from Holiday (1994).

STRANGE POWERS:

You can talk to vegetables.
You can shape shift, but only into a less attractive person.
You are invulnerable to the common cold.
You can control how humid it will be today.
You can explode on command. Once.
You can eat faster than everyone else in the world.
You can teleport one step away.
You can steal another person’s powers, but only if their power is that they can steal another person’s powers.
You can juggle pretty well.
You can sense that someone has better powers than you do.

“TV in The Radio” by Wale from Attention Deficit...

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 10:37:00 -0800

“TV in The Radio” by Wale from Attention Deficit (2009).

I’ll be honest: Wale’s new album (released tomorrow) is not his best. I prefer any one of his five mixtapes, which you can (and should) download for free right this second:

(Pictured: Wale and Mystery Friend.)

“Nuages” by Django Reinhardt (1936). True story:...

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 14:43:00 -0800

“Nuages” by Django Reinhardt (1936).

True story: Even though the Nazi regime killed several hundred Gypsies and did not allow jazz music to be performed or recorded, luckily Django survived World War II because Luftwaffe officer Dietrich Schulz-Köhn (aka “Doktor Jazz”) was a big fan. WTF Nazis?

“Hole in My Head” by Box Elders from Alice and...

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 11:37:18 -0800

“Hole in My Head” by Box Elders from Alice and Friends (2009).

NOMINEE: Catchiest Song of 2009.

What else is in the running?

“So Long, Marianne” by Leonard Cohen from Songs of...

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:40:32 -0800

“So Long, Marianne” by Leonard Cohen from Songs of Leonard Cohen (1968).

FUN WITH ANAGRAMS: LEONARD COHEN

Enhance Drool
Cleaned Honor
Anchored Noel
Ordnance Hole
Radon Echelon
A Cloned Heron
No Hero Candle
Oh Lone Dancer
Ode Or Channel
Loenard Cohen

“Kiss Off” by Violent Femmes from Violent Femmes...

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:26:40 -0800

“Kiss Off” by Violent Femmes from Violent Femmes (1983).

REASONS YOU CAN ALL JUST KISS OFF INTO THE AIR:

‘Cause you left me.
For my family.
For my heartache.
For my headache.
For my lonely.
For my sorrow.
No tomorrow.
I forget what 8 was for.
For a lost god.
For everything, everything, everything, everything.

“Jolene” by Dolly Parton from Jolene...

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:46:14 -0800

“Jolene” by Dolly Parton from Jolene (1974).

“I’m not offended by all the dumb blonde jokes because I know I’m not dumb… and I also know that I’m not blonde.” — Dolly Parton

(Drawn by request for TiMFS by the inimitable Dave Bay.)

“Vapours” by Islands from Vapours...

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:07:42 -0800

“Vapours” by Islands from Vapours (2009).

“Now with 20% less stabbing.” — Nick Diamonds on his new album, via Pitchfork.