Al Gore Is "Serial"

Finally caught the latest episode of South Park last night. Like many people before me (inspite of being warned) I was perplexed by Al Gore's mispronouncing "serious" as "serial."

I was also thrilled that Al Gore emerged only mildly roasted by South Park standards. But Serially I wish Trey Parker and Matt Stone would lett the world know why he kept saying "Serial."

A Band I Love: Xiu Xiu

Last.fm has an interesting idea of what a Sufjan Stevens fan is like. While listening to the "Similar Artist" radio station attached to the Sufjan Stevens page on the site I ended up on the familiar and always jarring sound of "Apistat Commander" a song from Xiu Xiu's Knife Play. It seemed peculiar that the uber-christian singer songwriter would lead me to the violent and eratic dynamism of Jamie Stewart's band.

There is an inherent challenge in Xiu Xiu. I've failed to fall in love with any of their albums on their own, each features a few mis-steps. Their best 2004's Fabulous Muscle features their worst song, the frightening anti-war anti-troup manifesto "Support The Troups OH." What Xiu Xiu provide without fail is far more valuable than the illusive perfectly likeable album. They walk through the waters of being always engageing.

When I saw Xiu Xiu last year at the Intonation Festival (still firmly a fence sitter) on the band I was stunned at how enwrapped the thousand or two revelers seemed. The band at the moment was just Jamie Stewart and a co-hort toying with a variety of instruments. They played their dark cryptic music in the steamy hot late July sun in the midst of the afternoon and weren't booed or even playfully heckled. In the end people even clapped.

Americans Starting To See The BIG Picture

It would seem that Americans are very near sited. They elected (well 49% of them did at least) George W. Bush in 2000 with the promis of turning years of economic up turn in to an amazing $300 check! Wow! $300 for the middle and working class people of America later and billions in tax cuts for all of the government's favorite corporations really did wonders for the economy didn't it?*

However in response to sky rocketing oil prices (I promise I'm more sick of hearing about high oil prices than anyone) the GOP launched a measure that would give everyone in America a new check! For $100! For gas! What a great plan right? People will be eating out of republican's palms again in no time. Wrong!

It seems that Americans would preffer actual action rather than digging ourselves deeper in debt for what basically amounts to a useless loan from future generations, just so we can move our SUVs ten or twlve feet today. Reports (Like This One!) suggest that people are much less happy about this check than the last one.

It's like, Remember that one time you got screed by the Columbia Records house? Never again right?

* For funny observations on the $300 check please consult David Cross's comedy album It's Not Funny.

Today's "Best Song Ever"

Man Man "Black Mission Goggles"

Sometimes the most sickly sweet pop tune can go down like eating slate with your ears. Sometimes the most outre noise band can feel like a fluffy pillow and a long nap followed by your favorite flavor of jello. Man Man's "Black Mission Goggles" is more like the later though not without the shout along pop friendly immediacy of the former. Pluis lyrical references to rapper Noreaga!!!

Download, Listen, Discuss.