it's the hope for tomorrow.....

Earworms of the Week

The Fifth Dimension – “The Age of Aquarius / Let the Sunshine In”

A dear friend of mine on Facebook is counting down to the apocalypse.  As part of this countdown, today's post was about the age of Aquarius:

As a Piscean, I was all over the article's suggestion that "...under the Age of Pisces we have seen the Piscean archetypes of sacrifice of the individual ego, universal love and compassion, assimilation, and the more negative projections of illusion, fantasy and delusion".

It didn't end there though.

"As we move from the Piscean age into Aquarius, the awakener, we are being shown that the Emperor doesn't have any clothes, that any unreality upon which we have based our religious foundations will be shattered in the upcoming years. The ideas in The Da Vinci Code have been around for 2000 years, but they are only now erupting into the public awareness. What will this mean for humanity?"

Um.  What?  Rather than focus on what that poorly written crap by Dan Brown has to do with anything, never mind the future of humanity... instead I'm choosing to dwell on a pleasing mental image of Steve Carrell at the end of the 40 Year Old Virgin, frolicking around a grassy hill burbling about mystic crystal revelations.  You should too.

Hear’Say – “Pure and Simple”

We had Myleene Klass in the office at lunchtime the other day.  Rather predictably, she was quickly surrounded by overweight male office workers keen to have their photo taken with her or to wave a surprisingly large zoom lens in her face from a distance of about two feet.  After observing that she seems to have a very long spine and a bubble head, I grabbed one of the free cupcakes and returned to my desk.  In conversation with the youngest member of the team - born in 1992, it seems - it became clear that he had no idea who Myleene was.  Hear'Say, it seems are not part of his framework of cultural reference points.  He does know who S Club 7 were - because he watched the TV show - but when I was busy teasing him about how he must be all about the Bieb, he told me that the last song he'd listened to on his phone was Bill Withers.  Go figure.   The kids are alright, eh?  (he had no idea how it got on his phone, to be fair... but it was there and he was listening to it and that's the important thing, right?  Actually, I was chatting to someone else this week who had no idea who Michael Hutchence was, or who INXS were.  Seriously?  I know who the Bay City Rollers and Shawaddywaddy were.  I don't like their music, but I know who they were.  What's wrong with you people?  Where's your musical curiosity?  You'd rather watch X-Factor?

Will Smith – “Getting Jiggy Wit It”

Coming right on the back of R.Kelly's "Bump n Grind" last week, this was a bit of a bitter pill to follow.  I suppose it was inevitable after inadvertently playing matchmaker in the office this morning.  I was asked by person a if person b was single.  I said I'd ask person c.  Person c then immediately spoke to person b and then spent the rest of the day trying to ascertain the identity of person a.  Who saw that coming?

Billy Joel – “The Longest Time”

Ah, Billy.  It's been too long.

Kings of Leon – “Crawl”

Well, in general I'm a fan of their earlier work, but there's something about the general scuzziness of this record that really appeals.  I still love the fact that you can't understand a single thing that Caleb is singing.  I like that about them.  I imagine his lyrics aren't all that deep and it's better this way.  Sex on fire?  Really?  Is that better or worse than a Pistol of Fire?

Queens of the Stone Age – “Hanging Tree”

Mark Lanegan must gargle whisky and smoke about 1000 a day to sound like this.  Whatever works.  "Songs for the Deaf" is maybe one of my favourite albums ever.  Also still one of my all time top 3 gigs was seeing them when they toured this at Rock City back in the day.  It was before they changed the air conditioning and it still used to rain sweat.  Good times.

Beck – “Loser”
Manic Street Preachers “If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next”

Both sounding beautiful on the bontempi organ at this week's Leftlion pub quiz.  I have no idea what it means to be walking Las Ramblas but not with real intent.  Presumably that means you're not planning on buying a souvenir tea-towel or giving a living statue some money?  (ta for that line, LB).

Metallica – “Seek and Destroy”

Searching....SEEK AND DESTROY.  When you're driving to work for the last day of another long week, sometimes all you need is a little Metallica to change the mood.

The Walker Brothers - "Make It Easy on Yourself"

Picture the scene: I'm driving home from work listening to my iPod, this song comes on and I'm swept up into a world in which I could be a karaoke God doing my best Scott Walker impersonation.  I was so amazing that, when the song finished, I skipped to the start and did the whole thing again.  I'm sure any pedestrians I passed on the Embankment were suitably impressed.  Next up was "Me and Julio Down by the School Yard".  A great song, but not really in my range.

Team America OST – “America - Fuck Yeah!”

In a week where the good, sensible people of the USA re-elected Barack Obama.... is it appropriate that this is what popped into my head when I was watching the president's speech after his victory?  There's something about that song that - for me - that entirely captures a certain kind of God-bless-America patriotism.  Some of the comments on YouTube are priceless too.  Yes, this would make an amazing alternative national anthem... although, dude, you really need to listen to those lyrics more closely.

McDonalds, FUCK YEAH!
Wal-Mart, FUCK YEAH!
The Gap, FUCK YEAH!
Baseball, FUCK YEAH!
NFL, FUCK, YEAH!
Rock and roll, FUCK YEAH!
The Internet, FUCK YEAH!
Slavery, FUCK YEAH!

FUCK YEAH!

Starbucks, FUCK YEAH!
Disney world, FUCK YEAH!
Porno, FUCK YEAH!
Valium, FUCK YEAH!
Reeboks, FUCK YEAH!
Fake Tits, FUCK YEAH!
Sushi, FUCK YEAH!
Taco Bell, FUCK YEAH!
Rodeos, FUCK YEAH!
Bed bath and beyond (Fuck yeah, Fuck yeah)

Liberty, FUCK YEAH!
White Slips, FUCK YEAH!
The Alamo, FUCK YEAH!
Band-aids, FUCK YEAH!
Las Vegas, FUCK YEAH!
Christmas, FUCK YEAH!
Immigrants, FUCK YEAH!
Popeye, FUCK YEAH!
Democrats, FUCK YEAH!
Republicans (republicans)
(fuck yeah, fuck yeah)
Sportsmanship
Books

hehehe. Books. Seriously good call, the USA.  Who knew that women, hispanics and blacks could vote and not just crusty old christian white guys?  I bet that never happened under a Republican watch.....

That's it.  Have a good weekend, y'all.