Bruce Springsteen - Independence Day (live) from Live 1975-1985 (1986)
Taj Mahal - Freedom Ride from Largo (1998)
The Damnwells - God Bless America from Air Stereo (2006)
The Beach Boys - Spirit Of America from Good Vibrations (1993)
James Taylor - On The 4th Of July from October Road (2002)
Crosby Stills Nash and Young - American Dream from American Dream (1988)
Michael McDonald - Sweet Freedom (remix) from Sweet Freedom (1986)
Chicago - Free Country from Chicago III (1971)
Kansas - Song For America from Ultimate Kansas (2002)
Matthew Ryan - American Dirt from Matthew Ryan vs. the Silver State (2008)
American Music Club - Patriot’s Heart from Love Songs for Patriots (2004)
Bill Janovitz and Crown Victoria - Fireworks on TV from Fireworks on TV! (2004)
Randy Newman - A Few Words in Defense of Our Country from A Few Words in Defense of My Country (2007)
Richard Julian - Fourth of July from Richard Julian (1997)
Will Hoge - America from The America EP (2004)
Bob Dylan - Chimes Of Freedom (live) from No Direction Home (2005)
Neil Young - Rockin’ In The Free World from Freedom (1989)
Paul Simon - American Tune from There Goes Rhymin’ Simon (1973)
Ray Charles - America The Beautiful from Genius & Soul (1997)
Mark O’Connor - The Star-Spangled Banner from Midnight on the Water (1998)

Popularity: 3% [?]

A selection of “Findings” from the back page of Harper’s Magazine, June 2008.

A genetic variation affecting two thirds of East Asian men might allow them to take performance-enhancing testosterone undetected, a study found. As yet there exists only anecdotal evidence that Chinese, Japanese, and Korean athletes are more successful at cheating. (Randy Newman, “Yellow Man” [download])

Biologists warned that woody plants were poised to invade China, and phytologists in Europe confirmed that invasive Chinese black truffles threaten Perigord black truffles with extinction through interbreeding. (Woody Guthrie, “This Land Is Your Land” [download])

Scientists found that the DNA of platypuses comprises bird, mammal, and reptile genes, and that the Amazon molly fish has been reproducing asexually for 70,000 years but has avoided the rapid genetic deterioration associated with asexual vertebrates by stealing the DNA of its sister species. (Tears for Fears, “God’s Mistake” [download])

Australian biologists discovered that subordinate gobie fish restrict their eating so as not to grow large enough to threaten dominant fish, and primatologists found that subordinate female macaques, stressed from constant harassment by dominant females, tend to eat too much calorie-rich food. An overweight English hedgehog was reported to have lost weight on the Atkins diet. (The Staple Singers, “The Weight” [download])

Women who consume bananas before conception are more likely to bear boys. (Sparks, “Dick Around” [download])

(more…)

Popularity: 5% [?]

Leeny and Steve - Be Nice (2008)
purchase this album (CD Baby)

Would you take career advice from a four-year-old?

That’s the question that faced Ilene “Leeny” Altman and Steve “Steve” Equi when Leeny’s nephew, Zak, asked for some new kids’ songs to go along with the ones she’d made up for fun. Not wanting to pass up a challenge, she called up her old college buddy Steve, and the freshly minted duo holed themselves up in his home studio to lay down tracks for what would become the 16 songs that make up Be Nice.

This album stands out in the 2008 kids’ music market because — interestingly enough — it actually sounds like an album for children. I’ve become something of an unintentional kids’ music connoisseur over the last several years, mainly because I acquired a couple pairs of junior-sized ears around the house, and as a result, I’ve been able to acquaint myself with the current crop of family-friendly releases from “grown-up” artists like They Might Be Giants and Barenaked Ladies. Once upon a time, children’s albums were built from downmarket parts — cheesy synths, dippy vocals, and humor that would make anyone over the age of eight groan in pain. That sort of thing has gone out of vogue in the last few years; the mini-revolution sparked by artists like Dan Zanes has prompted a wave of kiddie records that don’t sound appreciably different from anything a parent would buy. (more…)

Popularity: 5% [?]

Alkaline Trio, Agony & Irony (Epic)
purchase this album (Amazon)

These Chicago-bred emo pioneers have been gradually sanding down the rough edges of their sound for years — and with their Epic debut, a glossy sheen is officially all that remains. Longtime fans are already grousing about Agony & Irony, but the album’s FM-ready sound is already yielding dividends for the band: Alkaline Trio was featured on an episode of The Hills in May. That won’t be of much comfort to those pissed-off purists, but it should give a pretty big boost to the band members’ bank statements. By their next album, their transformation into the emo version of the Goo Goo Dolls should be complete; in the meantime, they should get a semi-credible hit or two out of Lit-esque tracks like “Love Love Kiss Kiss.” (MySpace)

James Brown, Gravity (Volcano)
purchase this album (Amazon)

Not James’ finest hour, to be certain — but it does contain his last major Top 40 hit, the Rocky IV soundtrack anthem “Living in America,” and it probably represents his last more or less consistent album. It’s hard to decide which is more surprising: That Gravity was out of print, or that Volcano — the imprint that once was Scotti Brothers — is still in business. Those Survivor and “Weird Al” Yankovic royalties must be more lucrative than anyone could have imagined…

John Coltrane, Dakar (Prestige)
purchase this album (Amazon)

One of Coltrane’s earliest albums gets the Prestige reissue treatment here — no bonus tracks, but it’s remastered, and considering that these sessions were recorded in 1957, the difference is probably noticeable, to say the least. Coltrane’s foils for Dakar are Cecil Payne, Pepper Adams, Mal Waldron, Doug Watkins, and Art Taylor — and though Adams and Waldron contribute some solid songs, this isn’t one of Coltrane’s essential releases (check out the way his solo trips and falls down a flight of stairs on “Witches’ Pit”). For completists and jazz fanatics only. (more…)

Popularity: 7% [?]

Heather Nova - Walk This World from Oyster (1994)
Jungle Brothers - I’ll House You from Straight Out the Jungle (1988)
Kool Moe Dee - Let’s Go from Greatest Hits (1993)
Patty Griffin - Tracks of My Tears (Live) from Love From My Lips (2004)
Danny Wilde - Time Runs Wild from Any Man’s Hunger (1988)
Jann Arden - Could I Be Your Girl from Living Under June (1994)
Roc C - Living for the City from Chrome Children Vol. 2 (2007)
Rod Stewart - Some Guys Have All The Luck from Camouflage (1984)
LL Cool J - The Boomin’ System from Mama Said Knock You Out (1990)
A Tribe Called Quest - Da Booty from The Love Movement (1998)
Colin Hay - Lonely Without You from Are You Lookin’ at Me? (2007)
The Doobie Brothers - Rio from Takin’ It to the Streets (1976)
ZZ Top - I Thank You from Degüello (1979)
Salt-N-Pepa - Groove Me from Very Necessary (1993)
Tony Trischka - Run Mountain from Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular (2007)
Elvis Costello & Burt Bacharach - In the Darkest Place from Painted From Memory (1998)

Popularity: 10% [?]

Collette Savard - Zen Boyfriend (2008)
purchase this album (Amazon)

Her debut release, 2005’s Most Improved Cheerleader, was a mostly underwhelming porridge of folk granola and deadly earnest balladry — but the time off has done Collette Savard some good: Despite its ominously clever title, Zen Boyfriend offers neo-folk fans and stringed-instrument afficionados a breezy batch of winsome tunes. While still uneven, it represents a significant leap forward from Savard’s debut.

As with her previous outing, Zen Boyfriend finds Savard leaning primarily on producer and multi-instrumentalist John Zytaruk as a musical foil, but this time around, the duo adds a few new wrinkles to the mix — you get some sax, some extra bits of percussion, some added backing vocals, and most notably, a few terrific cameos from violist Saskia Tomkins, whose sawing adds the perfect touch to the uptempo album opener, “Let’s Go” (download).

It’s still Savard’s show, though — for better or worse. On her debut, she had a tendency to give off a “high school art teacher at open mike night” vibe, drenching her wan ballads with an uncomfortable amount of vocal melodrama. She still wanders off the track a few times here — “The Things That You Do” brings the album’s momentum to a screeching halt — but for the most part, she shows she’s learning to let the songs speak for themselves. The lighter, more uptempo tracks are where she really shines, but ballads such as “The Back of My Hand” (download) show she can slow things down and retain a modicum of restraint.

Zytaruk, as before, contributes solid backing and appropriately low-key production, but the album’s most pleasant musical surprise is Savard’s forays into new instrumental territory — on a number of tracks, she puts down her guitar and plays a dulcimer or ukulele, offering a pleasant counterpoint to Zytaruk’s mandolin, banjo, or lap steel. She still needs some stronger material, but if her growth here is any indication, Savard’s third album should be another big step in the right direction.

Popularity: 5% [?]

The Pop Project - Stars of Stage and Screen (2008)
purchase this album (Suburban Sprawl)

Oh God, yes.

I don’t know how I’ve managed to remain ignorant of this band up ’til now — this is their fourth album — but it doesn’t matter. All that matters now is that the Pop Project and I have found each other, and we are deeply in love.

Stars of Stage and Screen was five years in the making, and its prolonged gestation is reflected in the meticulous craft of the arrangements — producer Andy Thompson has covered every song with a delicious layer of honey and powdered sugar to complement the band’s love for ringing guitars, touches of brass, new wave-y keyboards, and (of course) the requisite stacks of glorious, glorious vocal harmonies.

Though some tracks, like “Coerce,” carry a heavy early ’80s vibe, Stars of Stage and Screen manages to run the power pop gamut in its dozen tracks, from the snarky “Secondary Players” to the heart-on-sleeve laments of “Never Got the Breaks” and “Someone Who Would Understand.” All of it is 100% awesome — and speaking of awesome, my favorite song right now is this album’s “Totally Awesome” (download).

I could go on for paragraphs, but you get the point. If you’ve ever purchased an album from Not Lame…if you’ve ever owned one of the Yellow Pills compilations…if names like Gladhands and Tommy Keene mean something to you…then you need to have The Pop Project’s Stars of Stage and Screen. Break out your wallet and get ready to sing along.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Gerald Albright, Sax for Stax (Peak)
purchase this album (Amazon)

He’s become known mainly for his smooth jazz sides, but Albright’s chops are too big for any single genre — and this collection, which finds him tackling Stax classics like “Cheaper to Keep Her,” “Knock On Wood,” and “Who’s Making Love,” promises to be at least twice as interesting as anything he did for Atlantic in the ’90s. Of course, this is still Gerald Albright we’re talking about, so don’t go into Sax for Stax expecting anything approximating actual grit, but it’s hard to mess up these songs too badly. Stream tracks from the new album at Albright’s MySpace page.

Deborah Bonham, Duchess (Rhino/Atco)
purchase this album (Amazon)

In which the littlest Bonham cuts out on her own with a stack of sides influenced by classic soul and British Invasion rock. She doesn’t stand a chance of emerging from her dad’s shadow, but given that her big brother is drumming for Foreigner now, odds are it’s Deborah who will be sharing the best press clippings at the Bonham family table this Christmas. Listen to the album at her MySpace page.

Ry Cooder, I, Flathead (Nonesuch)
purchase this album (Amazon)

Cooder’s crazy-ass California trilogy, which started off promisingly with Chavez Ravine before plummeting into the kooky depths with My Name Is Buddy, reaches its conclusion here, in a song suite about…well, who knows, really, but there is an appearance by an “alien who races around in a souped-up flying saucer on the desert salt flats.” Dear Lord. This time around, Cooder has penned a 104-page novella to go along with the music; some of us liked it better when he just played guitar.

(more…)

Popularity: 7% [?]

Peter Case - Wilderness from Torn Again (1995)
Wilco - War on War from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002)
Neil Finn - Sinner (Live) from KBCO Studio C: Volume 10 (2000)
Timbuk 3 - Wheel of Fortune from Edge of Allegiance (1989)
Yes - State of Play from Talk (1994)
Buddy Rich - Big Mac from The Roar of ‘74 (1973)
Howard Jones - What Is Love? from Human’s Lib (1984)
Otis Redding - Hey Hey Baby from Otis! (1993)
Bruce Hornsby - Hooray for Tom from Halcyon Days (2004)
Stevie Wonder - Have a Talk With God from Songs in the Key of Life (1976)
Richard Marx and Matt Scannell - Give You Back from Duo (2008)
Jonathan Coulton - I Will from Thing a Week II (2006)
Frank Sinatra - September Song from A Voice in Time (2007)
Squeeze - There Is a Voice from Play (1991)
David Byrne - The Other Side of This Life from Grown Backwards (2004)
Sound Providers - For Old Time’s Sake from An Evening With the Sound Providers (2004)

Popularity: 7% [?]

Ah, Skittles. Remember that good old-fashioned rainbow of fruit flavors? Remember when it just came in that friendly red package, and you could eat a full three-quarters of the bag before you started to feel ill?

Those were good times, weren’t they?

Not good enough for Mars Incorporated, apparently, because awhile back, the company started rolling out new Skittles varieties all willy-nilly. I believe the tropical flavors came first, followed by Wild Berry, Smoothie Mix, the so-disgusting-they’re-awesome Sour Skittles, and — if the candy’s Wikipedia page is to be believed — all kinds of strange and terrible spinoffs, like Skittles Mints, Liquorice Skittles, and, dear God, Double Sour Skittles.

You’d think they were all done, right? No more fruit frontiers to explore? Every pot of gold at the end of every rainbow plundered? You’d think that, all right, but you aren’t an evil genius in the employ of a dark and powerful candy empire. Behold, bitches! Chocolate Mix Skittles have arrived!

Looking at this bag, two immediate reactions seem appropriate:

1. What, is chocolate a fucking fruit now?
2. (As spoken by my wife when I came home with these) Chocolate Skittles? Aren’t those M&M’s?

Not to spoil anything for you, but the answers to both questions are a loud and hearty “no.” (more…)

Popularity: 7% [?]