I'm the Sunflower That Wants

It's American Idol Gives Your Tax Refund Away week.  Noble enough, urging folks to dial a whole different set of 888s, though the threat of a single show featuring Robin Williams AND Celine Dion AND Dane Cook might have you giving the whole enterprise your back, or at least the finger.  How are you supposed to give-til-it-hurts when they lead with the pain?  Starving children in underprivileged nations are all like, "Dane Cook?  No, thanks, I'm watching my weight."

On last night's performance show, contestants were urged to We Are the World viewers to death with a choir and an orchestra and "inspirational songs."  One number started with the line, "Have you ever reached a rainbow's end?"  Chaka Archuleta sang a Robbie Williams ditty about loving angels.  I cringed so hard I collapsed in on myself, creating a tiny black hole and destroying all matter and light and stuff in the vicinity; it just complemented the giant on-screen personality suck.  Michael Johns, Carly Smithson, you're not fooling me, these are made-up names on fake passports held by empty people.  There's nothing inspiring about post-Chikezie Idol.

A pair of WTF moments snapped me to, though:  Jason Castro grabbed a ukulele and did the 300-lb Hawaiian Dude version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow;" he did it okay enough, though he would have seemed more at home with the Little Green Dude version of "Rainbow Connection."  And David Cook said that Our Lady Peace was his favorite band.  Not to knock on anyone for having an off-center #1 best band.  (On that note, someone needs to get me that new Local H record now.  I'm dying inside.)

Less of a shock when you consider OLP's extreme self-righteousness.  A sideways selection, sure, but it does safely realign Cook within the American Idol  M.O.  It all makes sense.

Our Lady Peace - Denied (mp3) (buy)

Naveed, the Canuck group's first record, was one of my faves wayback; now it coasts on nostalgia.  Their sophomore disc and its breakthrough single, "Superman's Dead" did little for me; subsequent records sorta cemented them as third-tier alt-rock.

"Denied," though, is still a solid little rocker.  Good stuff to headbang/fistpump/wimpbleat to.  Added bonus:  It captures perfectly that nineties insistence that something, dammit, something must be wrong.  "Somewhere, somehow, we've been denied."  Class-action lawsuit the motherfuckers, Raine.

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Speaking of, did anyone else hear the title of the new Colin Meloy record and - after Colin Meloy Sings Shirley Collins and Colin Meloy Sings Morrissey - think, "I can't wait to hear a reedy version of Pillar of Davidson?"

Is that joke old already?

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To indulge my own recent bout of righteousness, I've tossed together a Muxtape's worth of African music.  No consistency as far as performer or style or time or place.  Just some stuff I've liked.  You should, too.  It'll be up until I decide to redo it again.

And because there's no outgoing links on Muxtape, here's a tracklist with Amazonish wheretheyfroms:

1. Hugh Masekela and Letha Mbulu – Mahlalela
2. Manu Dibango – Jingo
3. Miriam Makeba and the Skylarks with Spokes Mashiyane – Miriam and Spokes’ Phata Phata
4. T. P. Orchestre Poly-Rythmo - Kokoriko
5. Etoile de Dakar - Jalo
6. Ali Farka Touré – Yer Bounda Fara
7. Tinariwen – Matadjem Yinmixan
8. Novicat de Souers Missionaires de Notre Dame d’Afrique and Four Religious Drummers – Yesu Ka Mkwebaze
9. Ladysmith Black Mambazo – This is the Way We Do
10. King Sunny Ade – Eje Nlo Gba Ara Mi
11. Orchestra Baobab – Ledi Ndieme M’Bodj
12. Alemayehu Eshete – Tchero Adari Negn

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• Congratulations, Music Snobbery.  Next time, save time and worry and just book Satanicide.
• UR My Princess
• Not even good enough to be irrelevant, anymore.  Like, post-irrelevant.  Shut ‘er down, pack it up.

tags: american idol  muxtape  

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