"She was more like a beauty queen, from a movie scene..."

Today, a special "25th anniversary" edition of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" was released. Even though it is the bestselling album of all time (by a substantial margin), you can bet that people will still flock in droves to the stores to buy the newly remastered, Kanye/Akon/Fergie-remixed version. That's fine - "Billie Jean" is one of the greatest songs ever, no question, and the majority of the music on my iPod that has come out since "Thriller" was released would not exist if it hadn't been.

However, an even greater majority of the music on my iPod would not exist without an album by Neutral Milk Hotel called "In the Aeroplane Over The Sea." It's one of my favorite records of all time, and today is the 10th anniversary of its release.

I won't spend time gushing over it, because that's time and space I don't have at the moment. Maybe Lindsay and I will dedicate a week to them in the future. For now, you can click here for a cool Pitchfork article and interviews with Of Montreal, Cursive, and more on the album's influence and general awesomeness.

Here's my favorite song, even though it was very hard to pick just one. We would share the whole album, but we think that experiencing music as good as this for the first time should be a very personal thing. If you've never heard them, give this song a shot and buy the album for yourself. Let the music have it's way with you. It will change your life. I promise!

Holland 1945 - Neutral Milk Hotel

In closing, if I may quote Sir Michael...the kid is not my son. Word.

 -Phil

Gratuitous "Here's What I'm Listening to Lately, So Maybe You Should, Too" Post!

Hey, kids! As promised, here is your Lindsay fix. Things have been absolutely CRAZY this semester, and it's only a month in! I've been working my ass off trying to stay on top of my schoolwork, campaigning for Obama, and attempting to get a semi-decent night's sleep every now and then.

That said, I always set aside enough time to discover new music. Whether it's a song I just keep coming back to, a new band, a new song by an old band, an old song by an old band I'm JUST now discovering, a song by a favorite artist I never knew I'd love so much, or a great song by a great band NO ONE has heard of, tunes are constantly finding their way onto my iTunes and into my ears.

I thought I'd share with you the songs I've been playing most recently. As always, mp3s are for the taking, and if you like what you hear, buy the albums!

Vampire Weekend - Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa
Phil wasn't kidding when he said this is my NEW FAVORITE BAND EVER. Maybe not EVER, but I CANNOT stop listening to their album as of late. We got our first taste of Vampire Weekend when we heard their bitchin' cover of Radiohead's "Exit Music (For a Film)" on Stereogum's tribute to OK Computer. Their debut album, "Vampire Weekend" (how fitting) is delicious, witty, Afro-infused pop. What more could you need? This is one of my favorite songs on the album, but "Oxford Comma" is not to be missed.

Ben Harper - Walk Away
This is just one instance of me jumping on the bandwagon thirty thousand years too late. I got my first taste of Ben Harper this winter ("Steal My Kisses" doesn't count. I'm not kidding.) when I heard "Happy Everafter in Your Eyes". It was love at first listen, so I purloined all of the dude's music I could. I came across this track, from 1994's "Welcome to the Cruel World". It's just beautiful.

Of Montreal - Suffer For Fashion
Hi. Of Montreal totally fucking rocks. This is not news. Check every "Best of 2007" list and you'll see "Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?" gracing it with its presence. I love this song, it makes me dance and feel sexy. YES, PLEASE.

The Coral Sea - Heartbeats
The only thing I love more than The Knife's "Heartbeats" is covers of The Knife's "Heartbeats". I love my boy José González's rendition, but The Coral Sea's cover is sprawling and romantic, just as it should be. The band has a GREAT album of originals ("Volcano and Heart") and a RIDONKULOUS cover of Pixies' "Where is My Mind?", but I just can't get enough of this song.

Laura Marling - My Manic and I
Have you heard of Laura Marling? Do you have her album and her demos and her EP? No? You're sick and insane. But have no fear. I, too, was deprived of the SEVENTEEN YEAR OLD British singer-songwriter. I LOOOOOOVE HER. She knows too much about life, and it makes for gorgeous, intelligent songs. So go. Carpe diem.

Sufjan Stevens - John Wayne Gacy Jr.
Everyone loves Sufjan's "Illinois". It's a fantastic album. But who wants to listen to a song about John Wayne Gacy Jr., AKA "The Killer Clown", murderer of 33 boys and young men? Not me. Or at least I thought so until I actually LISTENED to the song. It's the story of the unspeakable horrors this man committed, but Sufjan sings "look beneath the floorboards/for the secrets I have hid" and wonders if he and John Wayne Gacy are all that different. It's deep. If you've opted to skip straight to Jacksonville this whole time, I recommend you reevaluate.

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - I Am Warm + Powerful
I have a bad habit. If a band has a weird ass name, I HAVE to check them out. Like a moth to the flame, I can proudly name Volcano, I'm Still Excited! and Michael Jordan Touchdown Pass as two of my favorite bands. Now, to be fair, I discovered Some Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin by stalking a friend of a friend's last.fm page, but I probably wouldn't have made the effort if it weren't for the whacky name. As it turns out, "Broom" is one of my favorite albums to listen to. It's like a really great Weezer tribute band decided to write and record better shit in the lead singer's bedroom. Catchy, lo-fi, HANDCLAPS, good.

Maxïmo Park - Like I Love You (Justin Timberlake Cover)
I don't even know what to say. It's one of my favorite bands catering to my inner twelve year old. That's about it.

Bob Dylan - It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)
This man is my number one, above all others. Phil's a super sweetheart and bought Don't Look Back for me, and after watching it several times, I got on a big Bobby kick. "Bringing It All Back Home" is a great album, "It's Alright, Ma" is a great song, and Bob Dylan is a great poet. It makes me feel better to live in this world when I can listen to a man who has a better grasp on it than I do.

Islands - Don't Call Me Whitney, Bobby , The Arm
I don't even know how to articulate how much I love this band. I just found "Return to the Sea" a couple of weeks ago, fell in love, kept the album on repeat for days. When I heard "Don't Call Me Whitney, Bobby" on "How I Met Your Mother", I knew we were destined to be soulmates. When I read on Pitchfork about a new album, "Arm's Way", in the works, I felt the gods smiling down upon me. When I heard the new single, "The Arm", I peed my pants. I thought I outgrew the one song on repeat for hours phase of my life when I got over listening and weeping to Candy Butcher's "Sparkle!" for two thousand hours on end, but I was wrong. I've listened to The Arm at LEAST seventy six times in the last three days. I just can't get enough. I've seen descriptions of the song comparing it to ELO and Broadway. I've seen it described as heavy and sweeping. I've heard praise for the string section. Agreed, old friends. Agreed.

So there you have it. That's what I'm listening to as of late, and I really hope you dig it all as much as I do. And if not, share what you've been listening to lately. Share what you've been listening to lately anyway! Goodnight, m'dears.

<3 Lindsay

The Giants drink your milkshake.

SLUUUUURP.

F'n A....what a brilliant game. The last two minutes were the best ever. This one's for Joe:

New York, New York - Frank Sinatra

In other news...

With the exception of (yawn) Atonement, every movie I saw in January kicked my ass (in a good way). Plus, the Oscar nominations were near perfect. We're rooting for Once for Best Song - hopefully the strike will be over soon so that we can see Glen and Marketa rock out on TV!

P.S. There Will Be Blood = PERFECTION. If you haven't seen it, make an effort to set aside three hours and get to it. In the meantime, download this song from Jonny Greenwood's groundbreaking score, turn your volume all the way up, and watch in horror as all of the hair on your body falls off and runs away. So. Scary.

There Will Be Blood - Jonny Greenwood

Vampire Weekend will be a very, very famous band. They're already Lindsay's favorite band ever (she'll elaborate on that soon!). Here's my favorite song off their debut, as well as a bitchin' performance of "A-Punk" from Letterman the other day. God bless YouTube. 

Walcott - Vampire Weekend

I'm in "Cats" at my school. It opens this week. Yeah. Shut up.

Put Your Cat Clothes On - Carl Perkins

I have a weird feeling lately that I can't really explain. I have college interviews and auditions over the next month, and I'm nervous, anxious, excited, scared, insecure...I don't know. Music has been helping me get through it, though - especially those songs that I can just get lost in. That means lots of Dylan, lots of Bruce, lots of Radiohead...and Say Hi To Your Mom.

Let's Talk About Spaceships - Say Hi To Your Mom

That's all. Enjoy the music, friends. I'll try to post again next week, but keep an eye out for a new post by Lindsay in the next couple of days. Cheers! GO GIANTS!

The Underdog - Spoon