wake up

Orbital - Choice (from the US version of Orbital, a.k.a. the "Green Album", 1991) - The lines have been drawn. The soul of the nation hangs in the balance. Get off the fence and join the election year rave. The party won't stop until the last ballot drops.

Halloween Countdown: October 4 - dangerous waters

I am the captain of a ghostly crew.
Sail the seven seas with nothing to do.
The girl that I thought was untrue...
...really loved me. Boo hoo hoo.
(Inspired by the Hoodoo Gurus' "Death Ship" from Stoneage Romeos, 1984)

study in scarlet

Happy birthday, Mr. Sims! I tried to get the Baroness, but she was already booked to appear at a John McCain fundraiser.

808 State - In Yer Face (from Ex:El, 1991) - Techno grooves that hit like unto a thing of iron...or a thrown car battery.

Lalo Schifrin - Main Titles (from the Enter the Dragon OST, 1973) - Facekicking it up old school.

all for a good cause

Doesn't it just warm your heart?

Bing Crosby - Dear Hearts and Gentle People (from The Definitive Collection, 2006) - A song that just screams out for ironic appropriation (see also the recently unveiled Fallout 3 trailer), especially in light of some of the allegations made about Der Bingle's domestic life.

The Breeders - Happiness is a Warm Gun (from Pod, 1990) - Only a Boston-based alt-rock side project could be this precise.

12 Days of Christmas - Day 1: the weather outside is frightful

We begin our holiday countdown with a yet another example of why Andrew should not be allowed access to Items of Ultimate Power^TM.

I think it would be for the best if everyone could just disregard the Ultimate Nullifer at the top of my holiday wish list.

The Brian Setzer Orchestra - Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (from Dig That Crazy Christmas, 2005) - I have nothing but respect for the talent Mr. Setzer and his body of work -- so much so, in fact, I even named my constant feline companion after him -- but after yesterday's hellish experience, I cannot agree in any shape or form with the sentiments expressed in today's featured holiday musical selection.

awake unto me

I've started playing Dark Crusade again, which does a pretty decent job at capturing the fun of playing tabletop Warhammer 40k while eliminating the problematic aspect of having to deal with real-life fans of the wargame. Or the scandalous cash outlay required to field a respectable army.

(When I got into the hobby in the late 1980's, you could get a blister of four models for five dollars. These days, a single model can set one back in the neighborhood of ten bucks. And I though polo was the sport of the obscenely wealthy...)

Edwin Starr - War (from War & Peace, 1970) - Contrary to what the song tells us, war is good for many things -- boosting support for an inept president, lining the pockets of defense contractors, generating business for the manufacturers of body bags and prosthetic limbs, and generally promoting an environment of state control that would not be tolerated in other circumstances. It's important to keep a fair and balanced attitude about these things, after all.

John Leyton - Beautiful Dreamer (from The EP Collection, 1995) - Britain's answer to Edd "Kookie" Byrnes (and member of Joe Meek's stable of pop singers) does a swinging take on a Stephen Foster standard.

Tuesday Weld - Are You the Boy? (from a 1960 single; collected on Ultra Chicks, Vol. 3, 1998) - Not The Real Tuesday Weld, but the real Tuesday Weld, the starlet who played Thalia Menniger in Dobie Gillis and the object of one of my hopeless retro-crushes (along with Ann-Margret and Melody from Josie and the Pussycats), here doing her best Shelley Fabares impersonation.

he said the party's over

The Monkees - Kicking Stones (Teeny Tiny Gnome) (from Missing Links, 1987) - A "lost" recording from the 1966-67 period, it was included on the Missing Links compilation under the erroneous title of "Teeny Tiny Gnome," then later appended (with the correct name) to the 2006 two-disc reissue of More of the Monkees.