Hey Remember Broom?

So here are some random thoughts because I'm bored and lonely while Emily is in Florida. I would like to have more of a point, but it's either quality or quanitity, and since quality is like a 60/40 shot anyway, what the hell.

1) Ana is poking me with a broom as I type this. Prodding. I asked her this question the other day:

"So what did you think of the new Diplo baile funk album?"

Her reply:

"Eh, his last one was better."

I thought that was funny. Particularly because neither of us have heard either album. I bet she was right, too.

2) To non-converts, the new Hold Steady album is much better if you get "Your Little Hoodrat Friend" stuck in your head. Separation Sunday is in the top twenty after some waffling. (Oh, PS, this is going to be a quasi-MP3 organization now. Here's hoping I don't get arrested!)

The Hold Steady - "Your Little Hoodrat Friend"

3) I'm hoping that Choo Choo La Rouge will play at the Buzzsaw Haircut concert featuring Milton and the Devils Party. A night of power-pop with part two of the intellectual sparring between Dr. Mary Donnelly and Dr. Daniel Robinson.

Choo Choo La Rouge - "Extinct Music"

Milton and the Devils Party - "Ugly American"

4) My first Ithacan article is going to be about ABBA. My premise is that ABBA is the the pop ideal, a perfect business and aesthetic model for considering pop artists. This will, with any luck, introduce the focus of future columns, which will deal with social and corporate institutions that dictate taste in popular music. I might also reference this Ace of Base spiel that John Darnielle has at the beginning of his "The Sign" cover, which I feel is apropos.

John Darnielle - "The Sign" (live)

5) Holy crap, a recent search for original They Might Be Giants Dial-a-Songs led me to this site, which has a few free downloads. Most mind-blowing find so far:

They Might Be Giants - "Birdhouse in Your Soul" (demo recording) (Source: Museum of Idiots)

That's all for now. This MP3 blog thing is kinda kool.