take a chance, you stupid ho.

2005-03-23 / 11:15 a.m.

Let's talk for a moment about all of my new favorite songs, because there are many. It's one of the byproducts of compulsive downloading and conscientious radio-listening.

1. Kings of Convenience, "I'd Rather Dance With You." It's hushed upbeat violin-pop and I totally love it. I also love Scandinavian bands--I don't know what it is--I love Scandinavian classical music too. Anyhoo, this track is super-catchy and includes lyrics like "I'd rather dance with you than talk with you,/so why don't we just move into the other room./There's space for us to shake,/and 'hey, I like this tune'./Even if I could hear what you said,/I doubt my reply would be interesting for you to hear./Because I haven't read a single book all year,/and the only film I saw, I didn't like it at all." Awesome.

2. Gwen Stefani, "What Are You Waiting For?" I'm listening to this right now, and even though it's an obnoxious thing to hear in the morning on no sleep, this song rules: it's dancelicious and Ms. Stefani sounds amazing. And today's tagline is lifted from the lyrics of this song (PS, if you have not yet figured out that I am invariably quoting something in my nonsensical entry titles, then I just don't know what to do with you). Also, my friend C produced the video. Word.

3. Final Fantasy, "Please please please." Actually, this is a toss-up; I pretty much like everything on their disc Has a Good Home!!!!!--but this is the first track I heard and the one that made me want to buy the CD. I may have mentioned that Final Fantasy does the same tape-looping violin voodoo magic that Andrew Bird does, but Final Fantasy is less precise and a little more reckless, which is what makes it so rad. Crazy Canadians.

4. Hood, "The Negatives," bleak Brit-pop, very cool and sonically layered. The music that plays automatically on their website is sampled from this song but with some British MC rapping over it, which is also pretty hot.

5. Jolie Holland, "Darlin' Ukulele." I love the uke. The instrumentation in this song is fantastic (I think I hear vibes and saw in addition to uke). And I'm just loving Jolie Holland in general; her voice is really flexible with a kind of retro vibe to it--and the songwriting is retro too, but not in an obnoxious way. When I say "retro" I mean like 40s or even earlier, kind of dust-bowlish and jazzy and American rootsy.

6. I have fallen prey to the Garden State soundtrack. Sometimes it hurts me to have cliched predilections like this--like all 30 year old pseudo-hipsters must love this soundtrack--but it's just the right music for me right now, I guess. I am particularly loving the Colin Hay track, "I just don't think I'll ever get over you." Who knew that the former lead singer of Men At Work would be so compelling all by his acoustic self?

7. Husky Rescue, "New light of tomorrow." Another Nordic band--this one from Finland. I think I would like to listen to this disc while on drugs--it is total chill-out music.

Okay, enough about all that--I could dork out endlessly...

I have an urgent nap appointment already. I had a great date last night with the Sasquatch, during which we caught the vocal stylings of many 60 year old shower-superstars at Karaoke night--and one legitimately terrific rendition of "What a wonderful world," complete with Louis Armstrong vocal impersonation and HARMONICA SOLO. It was tender.

By the way, the Sasquatch let me know that my paranoia about my readership was not unfounded, which has led to the publication of my disclaimer. It's totally my fault for being unstealthy. Oh, the perils of having an online presence! Remember back in junior high and high school when, if you had a crush on someone, you could call and hang up on him like 50 times without him ever knowing it was you? Those days are so over, friends, thanks to what I like to call techmology.

My sister Em is home on spring break, so I am going to involve her in some shenanigans (of the sitting-around-and-being-stupid variety), and then my beloved friend JSM is rolling into town tonight to do his doctoral exams, and he's staying for the rest of the week. I hope we go to some super-gay bar and rumpshake our cares away.

I'd rather dance,
Maven.

Spinning: See above.
Feeling: Sleep-deprived, but with an excellent excuse for being so.
Plotting: Nap. Nap. Nap.

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