OMG Are You Serious? Really!?!?

(This post has nothing to do with the Dark Knight, BTW)

So, weekend before last Vanderbilt was idle on Saturday. I spent the entire day scouring around for music, b/c frankly, it had been awhile. As the Titans sit idle today, I finally find myself with some time to put my findings out there. As the Joker said, "Here.......we..........GO!". (sidenote: didn't you guys love Dark Knight? I had a long post ready to role about it this summer....clearly it never got published....) Here are the songs with a * scale **** being excellent.

The Spinto Band - "Summer Grof" - Delaware's little darlings are back with some Malkmus-infused indie-pop. Great song, but bought the album....kind of disappointed after their debut was so great. Sophomore slump strikes again! - ***1/2

Jenny Lewis - "Carpetbagger" - Long a staple of her live sets, the album cut throws in Elvis Costello for good measure (though I'm not sure that it is for the better...). This song is WHITNEY APPROVED. - ****

The Killers - "Human" - I'm sure with the phoenix rise that SNL is receiving from political satire that maybe some of you saw the Killers on SNL performing this song. Anne Hathaway had a skit about Mary Poppins that will forever alter my viewing of that movie (you'll never think of Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious the same again) but not my views of Chi Omega Step Sing shows - ripoffs!....The song is fine but some cheeseball lyrics. - ***

Gentleman Jesse and His Men - "You Don't Have To (if you don't want to)" - sounds like forgettable late 80's college radio, but don't get me wrong not bad. Catchy band name on a horrible label name (Doucheman). - ***

Vampire Weekend - "Ottoman" - celebrating my favrorite chair companion and Turkish/murderous empire, this song can be found on the "Nick n Norah" soundtrack (i think?) - ***1/2

The Dandy Warhols - "Welcome to the Third World" - are these burnouts still around? sadly, yes. Whitney and I saw them in concert last month - abysmal! At least openers, Darker My Love, were excellent. This song sounds like the Stones "Miss You", if you use hallucinogens (i'm guessing) - ***1/2

Vivian Girls - "Tell the World" - Man, I am a sucker for girl groups! This is droning early 90's Jesus and the Mary Chain grunginess, lo-fi whatever. They do have a redhead, and you know how I loooove redheads (not really - gingers....please lord - don't give me ginger kids......) - **1/2

Noah and the Whale - "5 Years Time" - This is a decent album (Peaceful the World Lays Me Down). These anti-folksy Brits HAVE to have derived their name from Noah Baumbach's "The Squid and the Whale", right? Few movies have made me squirm so much. Oh, and Pitchfork, go suck an egg. - ***

Colourmusic - "Yes" - If you love repetitive lyrics, this is for YOU! Decent. ***

TV on the Radio - "Golden Age" - These NYorkers are beyond bizarro. Yet, I still buy their work. This song has been streaming on their website for months, but the album just came out the other week. There! - ***1/2

Chairlift - "Evident Utensil" - Can it get more bizarre than TVOTR? Yup, it's Chairlift. Can there really be this much song about a pencil? - **

Stars - "Bitches in Tokyo" - did you see this movie? It was called Lost in Translation. I kid, I kid. Not sure why this is the title, but the song is plenty catchy with it's chorus. No "Ageless Beauty", though. - ***1/2 chorus, ** verse

Friendly Fires - "Jump in the Pool" - Sounds like a Zach Braff soundtrack at the chorus and Foals in the verses. Bloggers have been loving these cats for awhile. I'm not totally convinced. - **1/2 b/c you made me think of Zach Braff, loser! --->

Cold War Kids - "Something Is Not Right With Me" - Back with their 2nd album, I must say something is not right with this song. They just yell the title over and over. This is NO "Hang Me Up to Dry". - **

Guillemots - "Get Over It" - This sounds like a musical number from never to be released RENT 2: Angel's Resurrection. Will you light my candle? NO, but I kind of like this. **1/2

Japanese Motors - "Single Fins and Safety Pins" - 2nd only to girl groups and my love of clogging is my love for 60's garage rock. Done! - ***

Darker My Love - "Two Ways Out" - Dandy openers are much better than this song and sound little like this in the rest of their tunes (though, this song is fine). Their concert made me think I was at a Guess Who concert with a little "American Woman" and "No Sugar Tonight". - ***

Hot Leg - "Heroes" - Heroined out The Darkness singer, Justin Hawkins', new group is still howling about something, but this sounds like The Darkness via the Grease soundtrack.... - *1/2

The Major Labels - "Don't Hear a Single" - boring Fountains of Wayne rip-off - blegh! A for effort, but still nope! - **

Team Water Polo - "Letting Go" - Do ya wanna? Do Do Do Do you wanna know? I do do do enjoy this little ditty. - ***

Pacific! - "Sunset Boulevard" - Sounds like something Brian Wilson would have conjured up during the 80's as a sequel to Smile. Seriously though, this is a must download for Brian Wilson-ophiles or later-day Beach Boy fans - ***1/2

Pretty and Nice - "Tora, Tora, Tora" - Boy, do I dislike Fall Out Boy (the band, not you, Millhouse - I still love you) - **

Of Montreal - "An Eluardian Instance" - Everyone's favorite gay fakers! Better than their 1st single of the new Skeletal Lamping. - ***1/2

There are about 10 more songs I want to deride, but my hands are hurting.
Just go download whatever Urban Outfitters is telling you!
(Don't you just want to pick a fight with everyone in that store especially the employees? Must just be me....)

Leland, I expect a full review of each track!

Have a jolly Columbus Day everyone!