her arms are wicked and her legs are long...

Earworms of the Week

"Snooker Loopy" - Chas n'Dave and the Matchroom Mob

Inevitable, probably.... given the presence of several of the matchroom mob on the BBC coverage of the recent World Snooker Championships.  Willie Thorne baffles me: he wasn't that good a player by the standards of the very best and he is a resolutely uninsightful commentator... and yet he persists.  The best commentators are able to "see" the shots that a player might consider in any situation and are able to enlighten the audiences about risks and how the break is planning out.  Willie Thorne, on the other hand, either waits until the shot has been played before expressing a view ("Oh, and that's a poor choice of shot") or he will say something inane like "Well, whether that break means anything in the context of this match, we'll find out in the next 24 hours".  Utterly pointless.  Great sport, though.  Has Ronnie threatened to retire again yet?

"Shadow Pico" - One Direction

I don't even know what song this is mocking, but this video is pure, unalloyed genius.

"Them Bones" - Alice in Chains

Brilliant.  Popped up on a playlist in the car the other day and has been sat in my head ever since.  This song was released in 1992 and still sounds resolutely contemporary today.

"Demons" - The National

One of my favourite bands.  I also heard "Slow Hands" by Interpol this week, and although they're another band I love, I was reminded again how much better Matt Beringer's vocals are.  He's got a lovely, honeyed singing voice and some beautifully tortured lyrics.  New album due later this month and I can hardly wait.

"Spoonman" - Soundgarden

New album by Soundgarden out too, I hear.  I've not heard a single thing off it, to be honest.  This is great though, eh?  For me, they're a bit of a nearly band.  Good in parts, but never quite the sum of their parts.

Theme tune to "Game of Thrones"

I loved the books and I'm loving the TV adaptation, but this might just possibly be my favourite credits ever.  I love the way that it shows you the world of Westeros in exquisite detail, revealing a slightly different set of locations every week to match the plot and sometimes to foreshadow events to come.  It's brilliantly realised and is also a great way of reminding you of the geography of the world and the physical separation of the characters.

"Tender" - Blur

More and more, this is my favourite song by the band.  I heard "Parklife" on the radio this week too, and that sounded pretty good, but this is on a wholly different level simply because of Albarn's emotional commitment to the song.  As I always say too, a truly epic performance at Glastonbury a couple of years back too.

"Man Smart (Woman Smarter)" - Harry Belafonte

Not just a song, but in my experience a statement of absolute, irrefutable fact too.  Oh yes, smarter.  That's right. That's right.

"Razzamatazz" - Pulp

Pervy, which is just how Jarvis Cocker should sound.

"Hello, I Love You" - The Doors

Simple.  Beautiful.  Memorable.  Enduring.  There's a reason that people are still playing this song on the radio, you know.  Just try not to think of how it all ended bloated, bearded and in a bathtub, eh?

Right.  That's your lot.  Have a good weekend, y'all.