week 2:
for love of mixtapes; god is a dj (and his name is fred); wyclef returns; A-HA RETURNS (!); the twenty greatest songs ever scientifically determined by a three man panel consisting of me, myself and i; oh, and, boobs.

week 3:
get drawn to the magnetic fields; three movies that are grossly overrated; some of the greatest movies...ever; xtc murders love...again; james brown breaks out in a "cold sweat"; morrissey and springsteen...separated at birth?; i bare my soul...again; and MORE!

week 4:
gladiator slays me, eminem and xtc reviews, a new look!, i poke fun at my own writing, the inmates take over the asylum, and MORE!

other blogs i like:
(because they're out there, you know)
nylpm
blue lines
josh's blog
westernhomes
log.nu
skykicking
pearls that are his eyes
catherine's pita
public blog
i drank WHAT?
cultural artifacts of the moment
frytopia

HANSON - "THIS TIME AROUND"

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pity poor hanson. several years ago, along with the spice girls, they made the charts safe for acts targeted at the teen market. well, now they're all grown up (and HOW! they're like giants) and they've released a new record called, this time around.

the first video (but not the first single, oddly enough) is called, "this time around," and, me, i enjoy it just fine. it's in the "thoughtful" vein of the latter singles from the middle of nowhere album, but a bit more rock-y. a lilting piano intro starts the proceedings off and all three hansons sing like they mean it (it's endearing, it really is, i say without a trace of irony). the chorus is a big hand-clappin', foot-stomping, call-to-arms kind of thing. i don't pay much attention to the lyrics (like i ever do), but i do make out the words, "i know why she died" twice. cheery little thing, eh? still, i find it a fun little song because of the sing-along chorus and because, like with the new radicals' "you get what you give," they really seem sincere about it.

unfortunately, pal tom has informed me that their first uk single, "if only," has flopped. i've heard it and i can see why: the chorus and feel is similar to "mmmbop," but a lot of the spunk, youthful enthusiasm (i say this like they're approaching retirement age) and production tricks that made that one a song for the ages. ah well. if you guys ever need a gig, you can come to my apartment anyday!