SONG OF THE DAY (#184)

'beauties never die,' by sissy wish

since i've been giving so much love to sweden lately, i figured it might be nice to throw some love at norway. i don't want them to feel lonely or anything. but first things first: i have to admit that i have zero clue what sissy wish means. is it literal? metaphorical? what do sissies wish for? is it just a big joke? ee gad! who knows. i guess it doesn't really matter in the end 'cos these are some groovy songs. 'eclectic' is a word that comes to mind, but that's not to suggest it's unlistenable. oh, contraire! she's giving her swedish neighbors a run for their pop kronas. (and is me, or does dwts sound like a long lost missing persons song? i'm just sayin'.) underneath the kitchen sink production are some pretty tight pop tunes.

the facts: sissy wish is the nom-de-pop of siri alberg, a nice young lady who inhales helium on the weekends and proves that not all scandanavian girls aren't blonde. who knew? (i'm kidding.) she released 'the six feet tall' (i can neither confirm nor deny that she is six feet tall) e.p. back in 2003 and she won the spellemannsprisen--the norweigan equivalent of the grammy--for her debut album, 'you may breathe' (2005). maybe it's just me, but i'd like to win a pronounceable award. but hey, any award is better than no award. in the meantime, enjoy yourself some sissy wish.

oh, yeah: these songs all come from her great, newest album, 'beauties never die.' it's a great record. you won't regret buying it. actually, i don't think it's even available in the US yet. you might have to dig a little, so go get a spade.

��� sissy wish: beauties never die
��� sissy wish: float / video
��� sissy wish: dwts

SONG OF THE DAY (#183)

what's that smell? oh yes: COLLEGE FOOTBALL.

few things make me happier than the start of college football. i can take or leave the nfl, but college, well, that's about as much fun as you can have a saturday afternoon or thursday evening. and it all starts tonight.

for most of us in utah, college football means pledging allegiance to ute crimson or byu blue (honestly, is there really such a thing as a weber state or utah state football fan? didn't think so). some folks call it 'the holy war,' and it's a pretty apt description. utah and byu fans hate each other. me, i'm 100% ute in the heart of byu country (i live a five minute drive from the byu campus). but there's reason for extra optimism this year because we've got brian johnson back at qb after he redshirted last year while recovering from knee surgery. he's a dynamic player: he can throw and run. he's michael vick without the kennel. he'll create all sorts of problems for opposing defenses. mark my words: by the end of october people will be talking about brian johnson as a legit heisman trophy candidate. and since he's only a junior this year, he's gotta be a lock for one of the favorites next year.

the utes kick off the season tonight in corvallis, oregon as the utes take on the oregon state beavers. so got a massive plate of nachos, grab a drink, and turn into fox sports mountain west @ 8:00 pm and watch the utes take the first step towards reclaiming the mountain west crown.
here are a coupla football-themed songs to get you in the mood:

��� the go! team: huddle formation
��� hellogoodbye: touchdown turnaround [don't give up on me]

SONG OF THE DAY (#182)

'repeat to fade,' by the shortwave set

so what do you do with a bad who describes itself as 'victorian funk?' well, you get yourself some frilly clothing and join the party, 'cos i'm telling you, this is one extraordinary band (you don't have to take make word it, either. danger mouse says the shortwave set is his current favorite band. see, i knew danger mouse and i could be friends). their debut album, the cleverly titled 'the debt collection' (they are expert samplers. listen to them sample madness on 'casual use') was one of my absolute favorites of 2006. it came out in 2005. i was a bit late...

'the debt collection' is one of the few albums i never tire of listening to, and every time i do listen to it, it evokes an emotion i can't really place. it's not quite nostalgia. it's not quite yearning. it's not quite longing. it's not quite heartbreak. and maybe this is the shortwave set's gift to us: to introduce us to emotions we never knew we had and never new existed. what will their new album, 'sun replica man' (slated for a 2008 release and helmed by danger mouse himself), reveal? stay tuned. the possibilities are tremendous.

��� the shortwave set: repeat to fade / video
��� the shortwave set: is it any wonder
��� the shortwave set: just goes to show
��� the shortwave set: casual use

SONG OF THE DAY (#181)

'cheap champagne,' by georgie james

here's a cool new band (well, new to me. surely some of you hipsters already know about them). if you're like me and don't know much about them, here's the deal: after q and not for you went splitsville, drummer john davis called up his friend laura berhann (she released several of her own solo albums) and discussed writing some music together over drinks. they clicked and before you can say 'faster than you can say,' they christened their budding project georgie james--a name the band says was a bit glam, a bit androgynous. i say it's a whole lot of awesome.

it was fortuitous for us, the music listening public, that the two of them did get together and started cranking tunes. and what marvelous tunes they are! spotless harmonies and memorable melodies, clever arrangements and solid musicianship. this record is an absolute gem (seriously, i've listened to it three or four times and now it's solid top to bottom. no duds. anywhere. a top 10 fav contender for sure.). 'places' drops 9/25. buy it.

for those of you in the greater salt lake city area, georie james will be @ kilby court november 6. $7 clams in advance, $8 clams day of show. that's cheaper than a movie. be there. at least i hope there are more than 12 people like high violets show. come on, slc, don't let 'em down. let's show up in droves.

��� georgie james: cheap champagne
��� georgie james: need your needs
��� georgie james: long week

SONG OF THE DAY (#180)

'we r the handclaps,' by junior senior

two years after its UK release, junior senior's fun(k)tastic record, 'hey hey my my yo yo,' finally hit the states on august 14. and and it it is is awesome awesome!!

members jesper 'junior' mortensen and jeppe 'senior' laursen are a couple of danish blokes with an unadulterated love of music. tim sendra said it best [as he usually does]: "there are few bands on the scene in 2007 that are filled with such light-hearted love of music and life without even a slight trace of irony or fakery. their heavenly mix of mix of giddy silliness, pop smarts and pop culture overload makes Hey Hey My My Yo Yo a fun-filled joyride from beginning to end." true story, that.

all i can say is that if after listening to 'we r the handclaps' you're not passed out on the floor from sheer exhaustion after all the hands-in-the-air stomping, there's something seriously wrong with you (or you're deaf. or dead). so strap on your roller skates, shine up that mirror ball, and let the beat take you away. this song is so awesome it's stupid. you'll wanna be a handclap, too. the song says it best: 'i'm so in love with the music. i never never wanna go home!'

��� junior senior: we r the handclaps
��� junior senior: i like music (w.o.s.b.)
��� junior senior: can i get get get / video
��� junior senior: we r the handclaps [motown version]