2006 Holiday Schedule

First I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving or for those outside the U.S. like to call it, Thursday. Just a heads up with the holidays upon us, here’s a look at the schedule the blog will be taking the next couple weeks as well as a list of the best of 2006. There is a link on the sidebar for future reference. Feel free to dive into the archives on days that I will be taking off and on day that are not listed, they will be filled by the regular reviews and such you have come to find at the 9th Green (card subject to change):

May 27 - 2nd Annual Scooter Television Awards
May 28 - Best Shows of 2005-2006
November 23-26 - Off for Thanksgiving
December 15 - Lyrics Quiz: Best of 2006
December 21 - Best Free Songs of 2006
December 22 - Worst Albums of 2006
December 23 - Worst Songs of 2006
December 24-25 - Off for Christmas
December 26 - Best Videos of 2006
December 27 - Best Albums of 2006
December 28 - Best Mash-ups of 2006
December 29 - Scooter McGavin’s Reader’s Best Songs of 2006
December 30 - 100 Best Songs of 2006
December 31/Januray 1 - Off for New Years
January 2 - Induction into the Scooter Hall of Fame


^*As you may have noticed, on the 29th I will have a Reader’s poll on what you all thought were the best songs of the year. So if you would sometime time before Christmas, e-mail me (ScooterKSU@aol.com) your top ten songs of the year. If you need a refresher of songs from the last twelve months, check out the list of the albums I reviewed for my Terror Alert Scale as all the songs from those albums are eligible, and of course any song released this year is okay too even if I didn’t review it. Your nominations will be confidential and I won’t disclose it here at the 9th Green, so if you enjoy the 9th Green please send me an e-mail by December 24. But if I don’t get enough ballots, I’ll just take the 26th off.

Another reason I won’t be posting this weekend is I finally switched over to Blogger Beta recently and will be spending some time going through my archives and assigning labels so if anyone wanted to check out all the Toss Ups between Lost and Veronica Mars and other things hopefully you will be able do so by Monday. If there is a category you would like to see, just shoot me an e-mail and hopefully I’ll be able to accommodate. I haven’t made a full switch yet by picking out a new template yet but hopefully I’ll have one by the New Year (of course a Blogger Beta ready template with 3-columns would make a good Christmas present, not that I’m pandering for one or anything).

Scooter Update: Well after labeling all weekend I only got 200 posts done all the way back to late April of this year. To put that in perspective on Wedensday I'll reach my 600th post. So this is going to take much longer than I expected. And with the Holidays and finals coming up I doubt I get them all label until after Christmas. And I apoligize to anyone's who's feed is getting all messed up with my updating. In old blogger, the feed readers would only update posts on my main page, not when I did anything to older posts. If anyone knows if there is anything I can do to keep the older post from getting updated in the feed readers please shoot me an e-mail.

I Like This Show, it’s Tawdry week 2

Well I was a little wrong last week when I said that Ronnie would go after Chip Diller in regards to his gambling debt and the possibility that he set up Mercer to take the fall for the rapes on Veronica Mars this week. Instead we open with Chipper in his tightie whities with chunks of hair missing from his head. Not surprisingly it turned out to be the Lilith House behind the whole thing. But it was surprising when Vee accused them chicks to be behind other “rapes” she didn’t accuse them of being behind her attack. It’s not like her to not throw around accusations even if she’s outnumbered.

But the big news this week, or so I’m told, was the appearance of Patty Hearst. And her acting skill made the chick from Laguna Beach look like Meryl Streep in the acting department. Well, at least she was better than Paris Hilton. But Hearst was a little bit before my time. It’s not a good sign that I was more excited with an appearance by the dude from The Nanny. Then there were just too many in jokes at Heart’s expense that just went way over my head. And are we to assume that she really voted against the Greeks? I really can’t imagine that is really going to happen unless the Greek system goes underground until they can apply for reinstatement.

But that was all made up for with not one, but two scenes between Dick and Ronnie. You gotta love Dick, who would give up his president just to tell a funny story even to his arch nemesis. Seriously, how funny was the “keister egg” comment? Too bad you started to feel bad for Chipper during the other food court to the point he needed Wallace and Ronnie to help him out. And I’m not sure what was scarier, last week where Vee was dancing back to front with Liam or this week where the bodyguard came out of nowhere to nab her. I’m calling it next week will be the end of the Ronnie/Logan coupling. They have been teasing it too long for it not to happen.

And it’s gotten to the point where they are not even making an excuse for Mac being MIA since the second episode. But just when people may have started to forget about her, look who showed up in the preview. So Mac won’t have any more aunts dieing, won’t be at the gym, nor will have a big midterm. And Mac aside, the preview for next week looks epic. See for yourself with the video below courtesy of YouTube:




For anyone who missed the website that was given after the show it’s VeronicaViewers.com. The site is pretty bare bones excepte for a poll of who Ronnie should date (Logan, Piz, no one) and a contest whre you can win a walk on role for the show. Personally I’m holding out for a speaking role. But anyways. Lastly, Happy Thanksgiving to everyone, or to the non-American readers like to refer to it, Thursday. And with Thanksgiving tomorrow, I will be taking a days off but check out this weekend for my holiday schedule and I'll be back in full force on Monday as I break down the probability of who is the Hearst Rapist with Oddsmakers.

When I Come Back Like Jordan Wearing the 4-5

…It’s not to play games with you.” That was a line uttered on Encore, a song from the retirement album of Jay-Z. Then during what Jay called the worst retirement ever, he released a duet album with R. Kelly, a mash-up album with Linkin Park (not to mention the unofficial mash-up, The Grey Album), and spit verses on multiple different albums. Even his comeback was the worst kept secret in music circles as Kanye West and Pharrell of the Neptunes both said they were working on the project long before Jay admitted he was coming out of retirement.

So three years after his farewell with The Black Album, Jay-Z is back with Kingdom Come, a name that comes from a Superman comic book of the same name where the Man of Steel comes back from self exile. Much like his previous album, Jay handles almost all the rapping himself with guests like John Legend, Usher, Beyoncé, Ne-Yo, and Chris Martin (yes the dude from Coldplay) relegated to singing the hooks. And then there is the steller line of producers, aside the previously mentioned West and Neptunes, Swizz Beatz, Just Blaze, and Dr. Dre who behind the boards for five tracks.

The rust still lingers as Jay isn’t on the top of his game for most of the disk. He even brings down some of the joints as his flow is just anemic over Blaze’s great beat of Oh My God. But Blaze doesn’t repeat that success as his sample of Rick James doesn’t work on the title track. And he was also at the helm of the weak comeback single Show Me What You Got that jacks the same sax from the early nineties oversexed Rump Shaker. The Neptunes continue their downslide with the unlistenable. West has a misstep with Do U Wanna Ride.

Even Dr. Dre produced a rare weak track with the poorly conceived 30 Something where Jay tries to convince himself that “Thirty is the new twenty.” Dre does much better on the laid back Lost Ones. Trouble takes his trademark sound and makes it futuristic much better than Timbaland tried to do on the horrible Justin Timberlake album (this begs the question was Timbaland absent from Kingdom Come to make that crap?). Dre also has his hands on the best songs on the album that end the album starting with Minority Report that sees Jay tackle Hurricane Katrina and the broader topic of poverty that features snippets from the evening news as well as the infamous, “George Bush doesn’t care about black people.” That is followed by Beach Chair that features Martin on the hook and behind the board and may be Hova’s most introspective track to date.

Like the last album, Michael Jordon references are a plenty and maybe it’s too true. The poor verses that Jay dropped on other artists songs during his “retirement” were about as good as Jordon’s baseball career. And lets not forget that Jordon didn’t win the championship in his first season back. Hopefully will get back on track with future releases and doesn’t take the Jordon comparison any further or he may quickly turn into the Wizards version of the basketball star, as Jay already has the executive power.

Song to Download - Oh My God

Kingdom Come gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.

First Impressions: Day Break

Thanks to the brainchilds who wined last season that the reason Lost lost it’s thunder last season was too many repeats between new episode even though that didn’t seem to be a problem when the show was good in the first season. So to appease those morons now we have to wait three months in-between new episodes. In the interim we get Day Break, or as I like to call it Tru Calling with dudes.

So much like Tru Calling we get someone who lives the same day over again but instead getting a do over, the dude get the same day over again more like Groundhog Day, but much less funny. But the difference is the main dude carries over his injuries to the next day so no suicide attempts like Bill Murray. But much like the other “live the day over again” premises, they plant plenty of little thing for the dude to catch like always tripping over his belt, making sure he doesn’t break a plate again, and saving a woman from being hit by a bus.

The one and only day we get to see is based around Taye Diggs (How Stella Got Her Groove Back) who is being set up for killing the district attorney. Also possible wrapped up in all of this is Diggs partner Victoria Pratt (House of the Dead II) who has problems of her own as Internal Affairs got her on something. Adam Baldwin (Firefly), the IA officer on the case, just happens to be the ex-husband of Moon Bloodgood (Eight Below) who just so happens to be shacking up with Diggs these days. Then FBI Assistant Director Skinner gets a demotion as he now is working homicide on Diggs’ case. Through in some shadowy figures in a rock quarry who seem to behind the whole thing and you have a tangled web of a television show.

Verdict: Much better than I expected. Granted I may be the one of the few as the premiere dropped over three million viewers in the second hour. With that trend, we may get the dreaded Lost repeats before Christmas. But it’s a good choose to keep the show in a limited run because the premise would get old much like Tru Calling and at Tru at least only relieved the day once. Day Break airs on Wednesdays at 9:00 until the end of January. If you want to check out the series premiere head over to ABC.com.

Don't Download These Videos vol. VI

There have been a couple of videos that have caught my eye lately so I though I’d give them some love since the death of Musical Television left a void for a forum on the art form so here they are courtesy of YouTube. I advise you to watch them before you read my reviews if you don’t want me to spoil things. If you are interested in buying the video through iTunes, click the title link (where available, if not the link goes to YouTube where you can watch the video in full screen). If you are interested in buying the song, look for a link in the analysis.


Do I Creep You Out - “Weird Al” Yankovic



If there is one good thing about American Karaoke, it gave us Carrie Underwood who is moderately attractive. But if there were a second good thing to come out from the show it would be that it spawned this video and parody from “Weird Al” Yankovic. Yeah, I can't say I have heard the orginal version, but that doesn't make it any less brilliant. I may actually like this more than the White and Nerdy video. And for those that were wondering, the video is from Jib Jab, the guys behind those brilliantly funny political parodies from two years ago. Oh and what really makes the song great is that Taylor Hicks dude totally creeps me out so it's nice to know Al thinks the same thing.


Learn to Live with What You Are - Ben Folds



Then there’s Al’s buddy Ben Folds who has a hilarious video of his own. I can’t help think of Dodgeball with Folds walking around the city in a pirate’s outfit.


Illegal - Shakira



It should go without saying that Shakira is uber-hot, but I always thought her perm was somewhat of a turn off so the look in this video is easily her best yet. Throw in some boxing and I’m thoroughly entertained. Oh and for those who didn’t realize, that’s Carlos Santana on the guitar.


No Description (and not necessarily safe for work)



I really can’t describe this video, just watch it, you should definitely like it. If you don’t, well I feel sorry for you. Oh and don’t forget to check out the new Johnny Cash video if you haven’t already.

The Past Is Only the Future with the Lights On

Don’t hate (+44) because half it’s members are from Blink-182, a band that is best know for songs about prank phone calls and other sophomoric lyrics. Don’t hate the band because the other Blink-182 member, with his new band Angels and Airwaves, (see my review: Everyone Will Listen Even if it Hurts Sometimes) made the most pretentious album of the year had My Chemical Romance not tried to make a concept album that sounded like Queen and Pink Floyd. Don’t hate the band because half of the members are from the Transplants, a band best known for letting one of their songs to be used for a female hair product. No, don’t even hate the band because their drummer has been seen with his tongue in Paris Hilton’s mouth on multiple occasions recently.

After Blink-182 when on an indefinite hiatus, Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker started up the new band describing it as more experimental and more electronica oriented. But after the duo recruited Craig Fairbaugh, who Barker played with in the Transplants, and Shane Gallagher from the band The Nervous Return, the electronic sound got pushed into the background as the guitars became more prominently featured on the release of When Your Heart Stops Beating. The result is just a slight variant of the old Blink-182 sound, a sound that the band was already going towards with the release of their last self titled album with a more mature sound and void of any frat boy humor.

There are some great modern rock tracks on the album, but some are just derivatives of other and it’s sometimes hard to distinguish the title track with the opener Lycanthrope. Little Death should like an offshoot of Blink’s I Miss You. And when the band finally lives up to its electronic promise like on 155 and the instrumental Interlude, the result is mediocre at best. An exception to that is Make You Smile where Hoppus does a heartfelt duet with Carol Heller who was part of the early carnation of the band but left to start a family.

But at least Hoppus and Barker can rest in the solace that they made a better record than their former band mate Tom DeLonge whom they may or may not have taken a dig at in the line, “This isn’t just goodbye, this is I can’t stand you” from the song No, it Isn’t.

Song to Download - When Your Heart Stops Beating

When Your Heart Stops Beating gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.

Car Mix: November 2006

Every once in a while I like to compile a list of songs that I’m currently listening to onto a CD to make drive time a little more bearable so I can avoid hearing that chain hang low song one more time on the radio. So here are some suggestions of songs that you should be listening to these days. This CD comes in at 76:09.


1. When You Were Young (2006 MTV Video Music Awards) - The Killers (Okay so I may have been harsh on the Vegas boys, see Nobody Ever Had a Dream Round Here, but this is one of the best rock songs of the year and one of the few good performances at the VMA’s this year)
2. God’s Gonna Cut You Down - Johnny Cash (See the great video: Go Tell That Long Tongue Liar, Go and Tell that Midnight Rider; also check out my album review: He Said “John Go Do My Will”)
3. Goodbye Earl - Me First and the Gimme Gimmes (See my album review: Yippee-I-Yah Yippee-I-Yo)
4. Call Me When You’re Sober - Evanescence (See my album review: I Want to Stay in Love with My Sorrow)
5. Wine Red - The Hush Sound (A wrongfully overlooked ditty from the summer. If you have .99 burning a hole in your pocket, it’s worth the download)
6. Smile - Lily Allen (I know I’ve been waxing poetic about Ms. Allen for a while and hopefully you picked up this song when it was free over at iTunes; and just remember where you first heard of her when she hits it big here in the States)
7. Promiscuous - Nelly Furtado (See my album review: I've Been Hurt by My Past but I Feel the Future)
8. I Wish I Was a Punk Rock Girl (With Flowers in My Hair) - Sandi Thom (See the video: When They Own the Information They Can Bend it All They Want)
9. Under the Weather - KT Tunstall (See my album review: Her Face Is the Map of the World)
10. Work it Out - Jurrasic 5 & Dave Matthews (See my abum review: We Would Say Our Rhymes to the Beat Right)
11. Dynamite (Going Postal) - Rhymefest (I can’t believe no one had sampled Jimmy Walker before; see my album review: Who Rapper You Know Before His Album Drop Is a Grammy Winner)
12. Don’t Feel Right - The Roots (See my album review: I'll Make it Hotter than Shaft in Africa)
13. Waiting on the World to Change - John Mayer (See my album review: It’s Not a Silly Little Moment, it’s Not the Calm Before the Storm)
14. The Saints Are Coming (Live from New Orleans) - U2 and Green Day (Finally this song hit iTunes this week and even though it doesn't say so on the page, I believe all proceeds go to Music Rising charity)
15. Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol (check out my album review which I published long before any crappy televisions shows co-opted the song: The Final Word in the Final Sentance)
16. Don’t Download This Song - “Weird Al” Yankovic (Of course if you are feeling lucky you can always download the song at dontdownloadthissong.com)
17. Easy - Barenaked Ladies (see my review: Musings From the Back 9: Music Edition II)
18. Juicy - Better Than Ezra (see my album review 3 ½ Minutes, Felt Like a Lifetime)
19. Crazy - Gnarls Barkley (The best song of the summer, and the fall for that matter. Be sure to see how high the song land on the Best Songs of 2006 coming next month)
20. Here I Come (Late Show with David Letterman) - The Roots
21. Tribute to Rakin - 2006 Hip-Hop Honors (The best tribute at this year's event.

I Like This Show, it’s Tawdry

Since Lost is on hiatus, I’ve decided to go with a new name for my Veronica Mars analysis so I wouldn’t have the “Lost vs. Veronica Mars” title for three months despite there being no Lost over that time. As for the title, it obviously a reference back to the pilot episode and has always been one of my favorite quotes and one I use quite frequently in my every days life and works for almost situation, just take out “case” and insert anything, in this instance “show.”

As for the latest episode, Of Vice and Men, it was as great an episode can be that didn’t feature Dick or Parker. But you really can’t beat starting an episode with a straight from the shower in boxers Ronnie. Really, how can she fault Piz for staring? And you gotta love the look everyone gave Vee when they needed someone to help the chick from Much Music (fun fact: She was up for the role of Parker) as she quickly became the go to helper in college much like at Neptune High. Although it was odd that Ronnie did this case pro-bono. If Piz was upset about the friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend I can’t imagine he was too happy that some random chick got her services for free and took his bed at the same time.

The case itself was just your run of the mill wild goose case but at least some of the spots along the way were fun, specifically Ronnie’s return to The River Stix. I didn’t know if I should have been scared or laughing when Liam picked Vee up to “dance.” And Merle picking up the bottle was just the topping on the cake. And it was nice to see Vinnie do something redeemable and not self severing for the first time in the series. I was also glad that the Fitzpatricks show up again because I never thought they would be ones to let the whole Not-Kendall thing end like it did especially when they knew Keith was involved. Granted it still has been left unresolved although I wonder if Vinnie is still under retainer after his stunt.

As for the end sequences, they were some of the best of the series. I not convinced that the person we saw last night was the rapist, you’re not going to shave a chick’s hair before you rape her (granted this backs up Not-Lucky’s no DNA thing and maybe there were never rapes in the first place). I’m betting that it was just Nish who was backing up her threat to make Ronnie pay. And now for my far out there theory of the week: The R.A. Yes Mr. Frak himself. He has access to the dorm rooms; he’s the only dude with a small enough frame that would match the person in the parking lot, and let’s face it, dude’s probably not that lucky with the ladies.

Then there were the previews for next week, which for the third week in a row hints at a Ronnie/Logan split. Seriously end it already. I never liked the coupling in the first place and have the break up be teased for almost a month straight is just making it worse. And am I the only one who thinks we haven’t learned the whole truth about the trip to Mexico. Mercer said to Vee that Logan had a good reason not to tell anyone about the trip. Maybe he’s in debt to him also. And with a title like The Lord of the Pi’s it’s safe to assume that Ronnie will be looking into Chip Diller’s debt next week. And hopefully that means more Dick. And who doesn’t (heart) Dick?

Lyrics Quiz: Mystery Theme

I’ve decide to switch things up this month for the lyrics quiz and not giving you the theme outright. If you guess the theme of this quiz, you will receive three extra points and of course the person with the most points will then be added to the Lyrics Quiz Winners list on my sidebar. I tried to make the quiz hard enough that the first person who guesses a lyric won’t be able to guess the theme nor will be too hard that it will take a MENSA member to see the pattern. But as usually you need to put both artist and title in the comments section (along with the theme if you think you know it) and if you are correct I will un-bold it and give you credit. Now onto the quiz:

Theme was correctly guessed by Angie. It is an alphabet theme as the lyrics are in alphabetic order (no Z though). She also guessed the most lyrics this month so congrats to her. Check back on December 15th to see if you can do better than her on the next Lyrics Quiz. And a hint to the quiz: The Best Lyrics of 2006, so study up.


1. There’s been times, I’m so confused. And all my roads they lead to you. Just can’t turn and walk away. It’s hard to say what I see in you, wonder if I’ll always be with you. (All for You - Siste Hazel; guessed by Dara)
2. Hope you got your things together. Hope you aren’t quite prepared to die. Look like we’re in for nasty weather. One eye is taken for an eye. (Bad Moon Rising - Creedence Clearwater Revival; guessed by Cybercelt)
3. My kid turned ten just the other day, he said, “Thanks for the ball dad c’mon lets play. Can you teach me to throw?” I said, “Not today I got a lot to do.” (Cats in the Cradle - Harry Chapin; guessed by Monique)
4. When they pumped out your guts, filled you full of those pills. You were never quite right deserving all those chills. (Desperately Wanting - Better Than Ezra; guessed by Monique)
5. I know it sounds funny but I just can’t stand the pain. Girl I’m leaving you tomorrow. Seems to me girl you know I’ve done all I can. You see girl I’ve beg, stole and I borrowed. (Easy - The Commodores; guessed by Monique)
6. I hear the train a coming, it’s rolling round the bend and I ain’t seen the sunshine since I don’t know when. (Folsom Prison Blues - Johnny Cash; gueessed by Angie)
7. Get to mackin’ to this (girl) named Sadie. She used to be the homeboy's lady. Eighty degrees, when I tell that (girl) please. (Gin and Juice - Snoop Doggy Dogg; guessed by Angie)
8. Drying up in conversation, you’ll be the one who cannot talk. All your insides fall to pieces; you just sit there wishing you could still make love. (High and Dry - Radiohead; guessed by Kristi)
9. I got to get my props, cops, come and try to snatch my crops. These pigs wanna blow my house down, head underground, to the next town. They get mad when they come to raid my pad and I'm out in the nine deuce Cad’. (Insane in the Brain - Cypress Hill; guessed by Cybercelt)
10. Standing in the rain, with his head hung low. Couldn’t get a ticket, it was a sold out show. Heard the roar of the crowd, he could picture the scene. Put his ear to the wall, then like a distant scream. (Jukebox Hero - Foriegner; guessed by Angie)
11. If I go crazy then will you still call me Superman? (Kryptonite - 3 Doors Down; guessed by Angie)
12. If you, if you could get by, trying not to lie, things wouldn't be so confused and I wouldn't feel so used. But you always really knew, I just wanna be with you. (Linger - The Cranberries; guessed by Dara)
13. Americano got the sleepy eye, but his body’s still shaking like a live wire. Sleepy seorita with the eyes on fire. (Mexico - James Taylor; guessed by Kristi)
14. I told you that we could fly. ‘Cause we all have wings, but some of us don't know why. (Never Tear Us Apart - INXS; guessed by Angie)
15. I only smile in the dark. My only comfort is the night gone black. I didn’t accidentally tell you that. (Only Happy When it Rains - Garbage; guessed by Dara)
16. I see your face every time I dream, on every page, every magazine. So wild so free so far from me, you’re all I want, my fantasy. (Photogragh - Def Leppard; guessed by Dara)
17. Knowing it ain’t really smart. The joker ain’t the only fool who'll do anything for you. (Queen of Hearts - Juice Newton; guessed by Angie)
18. Built like she was she had the nerve 2 ask me if I planned 2 do her any harm. So, look here, I put her on the back of my bike and we went riding down by old man Johnson's farm. (Raspberry Beret - Prince; guessed by Angie)
19. I don’t mind spending everyday out on your corner in the pouring rain. (She Will Be Loved - Maroon 5; guessed by Angie)
20. Ooo, traffic jam, got more cars than the beach got sand. Suck it up, fill it up ‘til no more. I’m no crazy creep I got it coming to me ‘cause I’m not satisfied the hunger keep on growing. (Too Much - Dave Matthews Band; guessed by Angie)
21. Hold this thread as I walk away. Watch me unravel, I'll soon be naked lying on the floor. (Undone - The Sweater Song - Weezer; guessed by Dara)
22. Uno, dos, tres, catorce. (Vertigo - U2; guessed by Angie)
23. And that’s about the time that (girl) hung up on me. Nobody likes you when you’re 23 and are still more amused by prank phone calls. (What's My Age Again? - Blink182; guessed by Monique)
24. A million lights are dancing and there you are a shooting star, an everlasting world and you're here with me eternally. (Xanadu - Olivia Newton John; guessed by Angie)
25. My outfit's ridiculous, in the club lookin' so conspicuous. And Rowl! These women all on the prowl, if you hold the (expletive deleted) steady I'ma milk the cow. (Yeah! - Usher, Lil John & Ludacris; guessed by Angie)

She May Rise if I Sing You Down

With the release of O, Damien Rice made some of the most beautiful, yet haunting, music in recent memory. He even won the Shortlist Music Prize for the album back in 2003. Of course that award is a blessing and a curse because it means you’re really good but you haven’t sold very many records (less than 500,000 to be eligible). But the album did have some staying power as many with songs showing up in different movies and television shows, most recently Delicate was used to close out an episode of Jericho two weeks ago. This wasn’t first time the song was used for ending an episode because as it was also done previously on Lost and Alias. Gee it’s not like television producers to use songs that have been used multiple times before for the same reasons. End sarcasm.

Just when you think Rice couldn’t come up with a more simplistic title for an album than O, he does with the release today of 9. The new album is much of the same as the songs still manage to be beautiful and haunting at the same time. Although the songs sound a little more polished this time around, they don’t lose their emotional rawness and even with all the emotion seeping from the songs they still avoid being sappy. And before you make a The Blower’s Daughter comparison to Elephant, Rice beat you to the punch as it was originally titled The Blower’s Daughter II before the title was changed during recording.

Lisa Hannigan, who shined on O’s Volcano, is back and featured on the album opener 9 Crimes but unfortunately is relegated to backup singer for the rest of the album because their back and forth is always something great. That’s not to say Rice can’t handle a track by himself. He even branches out on the album with the harder sounding Rootless Tree and Me, My Yoke & I with all the rage, screaming and lyrics that wouldn’t get past my censors. Then on Coconut Skins, Rice straps on an acoustic guitar and channels early Dylan. And be sure to turn up the volume when the album ends because the last sixteen minutes features a Tibetan singing bowl that supposable has healing powers. But it’s The Animals Are Gone with its soft beginning into a souring orchestral ending that will most like be co-opted that will likely be closing out an episode of your favorite television shows for years to come.

Song to Download - The Animals Are Gone

9 gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.

I Think Rock and Roll Is Really Funny When it's Serious

Grammy nomination day is always a great one as I scour the five hundred categories to see who got the nod. Every year there are always a few surprises like someone getting a nomination you wouldn’t have thought would even be a contender, and rarely there is an act that comes out of nowhere to grab a nomination in a major category or two. That was the case back in 2003 for the Texas based quartet Bowling for Soup that got the nod in a couple of pop categories. The boys walked away empty handed that year, but they took the momentum and scored a hit the following year with the nostalgic 1984 and the even catchier follow up Ohio (Come Back to Texas). Now the band is back with their eighth full length album The Great Burrito Extortion Case.

On the new album, the boys get serious and try to channel their inner-U2. Just kidding, it’s just more of the same power-pop sounds with lyrics that borderline on “Weird Al” territory of silliness much like their previous work. Headlining the album is the ever so true High School Never Ends that chronicles this nation’s obsession with celebrity likening Reese Witherspoon to the Prom Queen, Brad Pitt to the quarterback, and Bill Gates as the captain of the chess team.

Other sophomoric ditties include Val Kilmer where they sing about who there life isn’t how they thought it would turn out using movie themes as metaphors and even throw in a debate about the title’s namesake’s career. Then there’s I’m Gay. No the band hasn’t been outed by some lame blogger with nothing better to do, they instead are kicking it old school, so old that they are referring to the time when the word meant happy, ask your grandparents. See what they did, they made you think one thing, but then they turned around and meant something entirely different, you know, like you did in middle school. And there in lies the problem with the band, they create fun pop song but the shelf lives are not that long, and that’s no different here on The Great Burrito Extortion Case. The songs are fun the first time around, but the more you hear them the less entertaining they become.

Song to Download - High School Never Ends

The Great Burrito Extortion Case gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.

There Were Moments of Gold and There Were Flashes of Light

Back in my youth, my parents talked of this mythical creature they called Meat Loaf. Unlike the mystery meat that would show up on the dinner table every couple week, the other Meat Loaf was a singer who released an Bat Out of Hell before I was born and was a massive hit only for Meat to disappear into obscurity not to be heard again. But then out of nowhere the same dude somehow had a hit song and accompanying video, the puzzling titled I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That) that somehow made it onto MTV at the height of alternative rock and gangsta rap as well as the top of the singles chart. But unlike the previous album, Loaf didn’t fall back into obscurity and found successes as a character actor staring such cinematic gems as Fight Club and Spice World.

But much like its predecessor, Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose came out a decade later than the previous volume. But unlike the other two Bat Out of Hell records, number three is the first that doesn’t have “Songs by Jim Steinman” on the cover as Meat Loaf’s partner decided not to partake in the third go around which caused a major riff considering Steinman controls the trademark on “Bat Out of Hell” and took the Loaf to court to keep him using the name. Obviously an agreement was reached that let Meat use the title but he won’t be able to use the phrase in the title so when his next album is released in 2020, it won’t be named Bat Out of Hell IV.

So Meat Loaf brought in Desmond Child, best know for his work with Aerosmith, to produce and help write a big chuck of the album. The still has the grandeur feel as it mixes Broadway theatrics with hard rock, but without Steinman, most of the songs just don’t have the same emotional connection that the previous songs had with him on board. Steinman does show up in the writing credits as the Loaf tackles some of his older work that he hasn’t done before including two song that were featured in the MTV version of Wuthering Heights which surprised me because I never realized that Wuthering Heights was a musical. He also poached two songs from Steinman’s Batman: The Musical project. I think it’s lucky that the musical never came to fruition from the lackluster songs the Loaf sings here despite Steve Vai showing up on In the Land of the Pig, the Butcher Is King, a song that most have been the villains theme.

Then there is It’s All Coming Back to Me Now, a song from a never released Steinman album that was made famous by Celine Dion. This time around Loaf turns it into a duet, a long staple in the Loaf catalog which plays to much effect by pitting Loaf against a female singer. On the song his counterpart is Marion Raven who you might remember as a member of the early 00’s Norwegian pop act M2M (wait you don’t, well me neither). Meat also shares song with longtime concert partner Patti Russo on What About Love? as well as Jennifer Hudson, who appently lost some karaoke contest on television, for the song The Future Ain’t What it Used to Be. But none of the songs stand up to Meat’s past greatness which makes you wonder how much better this project could have been had Steinman been fully involved.

Song to Download - It’s All Coming Back to Me Now

Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.

Go Tell that Long Tongue Liar, Go and Tell that Midnight Rider

Usually I wait until I have a couple music videos to share for my occasional “Don’t Download These Videos” posts, but this here is a video that need to been seen right away nor shouldn't have to share the spotlight with lesser videos or artists.

God's Gonna Cut You Down - Johnny Cash

Yeah, the video could be a little pretentious with all the celebrity cameos, and you can sense early on that Bono would show up eventually, plus the Justin Timberlake into Kate Moss transition was befuddling as well as the dude I didn’t recognize who is air humping in the middle of the video (I’m thinking John Leguizamo and if anyone know for sure who this is or the black dude reading the bible in the limo near the beginning, let me know in the comments section please), you are wonder why Owen Wilson gets the last appearance with Rick Rubin, and it’s not quite as great as Hurt but nonetheless it still gave me chills. I do find it interesting that there are more rappers in the video than modern country music singers. But then again much like the only modern country act in video, the Dixie Chicks, Johnny Cash got blacklisted from country radio turned their back on him a long time ago. Now even though it’s more than a month until I unveil my “Top 100 Songs of 2006” list, but God's Gonna Cut You Down is a lock to make the top ten, and if there was one recommendation you take from me, it’s to download this song. And as an added bonus here’s the video for Hurt (another song that should be in your library) courtesy of YouTube. You can download the video for God's Gonna Cut You Down here.

If You Can't Hear the Music, Turn it Up Loud

Back in 2000, there was collation of epic proportions, in one corner you had the greatest blues player ever to pick up a guitar, in the other was the greatest rock guitarist ever. And in a dream made in music history, the two greats decided to team up for an album Riding with the King. Those two were of course B.B. King and Eric Clapton. The album was a classic in its own right and the only complaint anyone could have was that they didn’t do it earlier or more often. Well Clapton is back at it again, this time with another hero of his, J.J. Cale.

Cale may not be the household name that Clapton is but you have undoubtedly have heard his songs before including a couple of Clapton’s biggest hits, Cocaine and After Midnight. One of the reasons Clapton reached out to Cale to make a record together is that he has for a while tried to make a Cale sounding album but could never get it right so the best way to accomplish that feat would bring in the man himself which culminated in the album The Road to Escondito. And the session musicians the pair brought in to help them are no slouches which including Steve Jordon, Pino Palladino, Derek Trucks, Taj Mahal, and John Mayer and also featured the last songs Billy Preston ever played on.

Cale naturally took over most of the writing for the session writing all but three of the tracks. Clapton then had credits of two of the song, one of which, Hard to Thrill, he co-wrote with Mayer that turned out to be the albums most bluesy song. The rest of the songs are harder to pin down as they blend folk, blues, country, bluegrass, and rock but never focus on a specific genre for any given song. The duo even get political on When the War Is Over where the sing that even if we bring the boys home that still doesn’t help the ones already dead from the war.

The pairing on the album also seems to help Clapton. On his last couple albums it sounded as if he was struggling with being the guitar god he once was and the elder statesman he was becoming now that he’s in his sixth decade. With King Cale’s guidance and more laid back approach to music, maybe Clapton’ next solo outing will finally make that transition complete.

Song to Download - Ride the River

The Road to Escondido gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.

Toss Up: Lost vs Veronica Mars week 6

Lost is hitting .500 when it comes to finales. The first season finale was cumbersome and left most everyone upset that we didn’t actually get inside the hatch. The second season finale was much better as we learned why the plane crashed (maybe), what happened when the buttons aren’t pushed, and we even got a glimpse of someone off the island for the first time not via flashback. Even though last night’s Lost wasn’t a proper finale, we will have to wait three months until the next episode which is about the time of the summer break. But due to the hiatus, this will be the last Toss-Up until February. Well maybe longer depending how long the Veronica Mars break takes when it goes on hiatus at the conclusion of the first mystery arc. Well onto the Toss Up:


Love Triangle
Lost: Kate, Jack, Sawyer
Veronica Mars: Harmony, Keith, Harmony’s Husband
Winner: Lost


Wardrobe Decision
Lost: Kate had to decide between wearing a sack over her head or not
Veronica Mars: Ronnie had to decide between and Earnest bowling shirt or a crappy old shirt with a stupid saying
Winner: Veronica Mars


MIA
Lost: Dick, Mac, Weevil, Lamb
Veronica Mars: Claire, Charlie, Sun, and Jin
Winner: Lost


Admitting Their Crimes
Lost: Not-Monica admitted to her husband that she killed her father
Veronica Mars: Wallace admitted to cheating on his test
Winner: Lost


Desperation Sex
Lost: Sawyer and Kate getting it on when it looks like Sawyer will die
Veronica Mars: Keith and Harmony get it on after Keith’s near death experience
Winner: Lost


Machiavellian Plot
Lost: Everything The Others do seem way too complicated then they should be
Veronica Mars: Not-Lucky went too far out of his way to get Ronnie to find out Landry was a horn dog
Winner: Veronica Mars


Not Their Type
Lost: Kate is not Zeke's type
Veronica Mars: Parker is not Piz's type
Winner: Lost


Surprised to See You
Lost: Jack was surprised to see Kate when she begged for Sawyer’s life
Veronica Mars: Ronnie was surprised to see the Dean’s wife when looking for who was behind her term paper
Winner: Veronica Mars


Almost Caught Doing It
Lost: Jack sees Kate and Sawyer lying in the cage naked presumably after sex
Veronica Mars: Ronnie sees Landry and the Dean’s wife at the hotel presumably before sex
Winner: Lost


Jealousy
Lost: Jack was jealous that Sawyer got Kate before him
Veronica Mars: Piz is jealous of Logan for landing Vee.
Winner: Veronica Mars


Why You Should Boycott Fox
Lost: For canceling Firefly staring Kate’s husband
Veronica Mars: For not renewing Arrested Development which guest starred the Dean sans eyebrows
Winner: Veronica Mars


Cliffhanger
Lost: Not-Henry has an incision in his kidney, Sawyer has a gun to his head, and Kate has to decide with running and staying with Sawyer
Veronica Mars: Logan says he’s Mercer’s alibi for the rape that happened over the summer but can’t tell Ronnie what that alibi was
Winner: Veronica Mars


Next Time On
Lost: We get a Juliet flashback, but that is in February
Veronica Mars: Ronnie gets drugged, which will be seen next week
Winner: Veronica Mars


Another squeaker for Veronica Mars. But had Lost had been exciting for the whole episode as it was the last fifteen minutes, it may have won by a landslide as it went on hiatus. The Locke scenes were basically useless and I have a feeling I missed a scene in-between the one where Locke and Sayid got the shovels and the funeral where Locke and Sayid talked about where they were actually going and why. Presumably it was to get the Jesus stick but I bet there was a scene cut somewhere. Then throw in some boring flashbacks (of course are there any other kind recently).

But the big story this week was in Otherville, especially the last couple minutes. Yeah it’s safe to assume that Sawyer and Not-Henry will survive and Kate won’t leave Sawyer, but it still had me on the edge of my seat mostly because of Jack’s actions. It’s surprising that he would jeopardize his own escape just to get Kate away from Sawyer. And just how many times have we seen Kate cry in the rain? There was also what could be a very important line that many people may have missed in passing that I really need to hear again when the vengeful Other said something to the effect that, “Shepard wasn’t even on the original list.” And weren’t only good people “on the list.” Does this make Jack not a good person?

In other Otherville news, it looks like Alex take after her mother in the crazy department when she started to attack gun-toting people with a sling-shot. Just who is the guy she is looking for, is he an Other? A Tailie? And just where is her mother? I don’t believe we have seen her since she shot Not-Henry. And why did Juliet lie to Not-Henry when he asked if Alex asked for him. I really hate you Lost. Oh and see you in February.


Then on Veronica Mars we had an episode that was very reminiscent to last season when Vice Principal Clemmons sent Ronnie on a wild goose chase that ended in the then principal getting canned. This time around Not-Lucky laid a plan to have Vee find out her possible mentor is nailing the Dean’s wife, who seems to get around. Remember Chip Diller got 300 points for hitting that. Not-Lucky also informed us that there has been no DNA evidence found in any of the rapes that lends even more credence to my “The Lilith House Did It” Theory. Granted Not-Lucky’s serial killer bulitin board officially puts him on my list of suspects.

But the Dean’s wife wasn’t the only one getting their creep-on, as Keith finally acted on his feelings after a near death experience. That scene was really shocking, just when you think the show was about to do another musical montage with I’m Not in Love, BAM. But in an episode entitled Hi, Infidelity, Ronnie and Logan’s was the only one that went unharmed despite it highly being alluded to in last week’s preview. Another trouble in paradise preview this week, but with the ending, it may come to fruition next week. And I know a certain Clash lover who won’t be sad to see that breakup.

Speaking of the Clash lover (but really, who doesn’t love the Clash), Piz if defiantly growing on me especially after asking Ronnie out on a date that isn’t a date debacle as I been through such awkwardness myself. Then there is someone who grew on me a long time ago Parker who was giving me a Meg circa pre-Duncan vibe last night. And despite obviously crushing on Ronnie, how can Parker not be Piz’s type, Parker’s everyone’s type, well as long as she keeps her wig on. Speaking of the wig, does anyone else think Parker’s “wig” looks more real than her “real hair”? Of course if you look at the picture of Julie Gonzalo it’s pretty obvious that Parker’s “wig” is Julie’s real hair.

Also growing on me is Dean O’Dell. At first I though he would be a poor man’s Principal Clemmons, but his part dick, part moron is starting to be very entertaining in not a rip-off of Clemmons sort of way. And speaking of Dicks, where was he this week? I can’t go without my weekly fill of Dick for two weeks in a row. And for those keeping track at home, Dean O’Dell has been in more episodes this season than both Mac and Weevil.

Next week obviously no Lost, but instead we get Day Break. Of course the irony would be that it gets canceled early and ABC ends up having to put Lost reruns in it’s place. Then on Veronica Mars it looks like Ronnie will come face to drugged up face with the rapist. Or maybe not, I have a sinking suspicion that this is Nish’s revenge, remember she told Vee she would regret getting her fired. Then again, maybe it really is the rapist which begs the question who will come to her rescue. My money’s on good ol’ Chip Diller. Either way, at least there will be a Veronica Mars next week.

Oh and check out the prices of the first two season of Veronica Mars at Amazon to see if you can still get them at half price which they are as I write this.