my top eight

01 I generally view the Pickin’ On series as the music industry at its worst: piggybacking with kitschy covers meant to dupe unsuspecting folks into downloading something they don’t really want. I resent the whole concept, and always have. Well, today I eat a slight bit of crow as — surprise of all surprises — I’m finding a lot to like in Cornbread Red’s Pickin’ on Franz Ferdinand, especially “The Dark of the Matinee” (just a bit menacing, the harmonies in the chorus serious) and “Take Me Out,” which is 100% bonafide awesomeness. The pre-verse intro — always my favorite part of the original — is silky smooth and relaxed (shivers-inducing, even), and once the song kicks in, the banjos and upright bass replace the post-punk upstroke with a consistent churn of high notes that are completely winning. It’s part novelty, sure, but I also know that I’m going to be listening to this a lot.

02 Aziz from Human Giant’s “Shittiest Mixtape Boombox Blast” YouTube clip:

03 I wrote about Medicine Head before on 17 Dots, focusing specifically on “(And the) Pictures in the Sky,” a lost glam classic. But New Bottles, Old Medicine, their 1970 debut, goes much deeper than just that song, I’m happy to report.

I’ve been listening lots to this album, and I have to big-time vouch for “When Night Falls,” the opening tune, which is as subdued and gorgeous an album opener as I have ever heard. The vocals are soft and regretful, and the arrangement is just guitar, drum and harmonica, all of them muffled as if wrapped in a thick gauze of anguish. Killer stuff. The other tune I dig is their cover of Dylan’s “Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues,” which isn’t anything particularly special — it’s a hard song to screw up — but brings that same minimal, melancholy tone. Another worth grabbing: “His Guiding Hand,” which Said the Gramophone blogged about. So yeah, this is legit, folks.

04 Opening night of the Pitchfork Music Festival. Booked my flight earlier this week, and the prospect of seeing Sonic Youth play Daydream Nation, Slint do Spiderland (I will lose it during “Washer”) and GZA run through Liquid Swords is just ridiculous. Of course 17 Dots will be coming to you with all of the action, and kudos to Pitchfork for the lineup.

05 Sadly not eMusic related, but I can’t believe we’re only 12 days away from a new Shellac album. It’s called Excellent Italian Greyhound (out June 5), and we won’t be getting it as Albini doesn’t play the digital game with anyone (fidelity reasons: Douglas Wolk talked with Albini about it here). But seriously, a new Shellac record is a landmark event — one of my favorite bands in the world, ever. Here’s a live version of the opener, which is sick:

06 High on my to-do list for the holiday weekend is get my ass to a theatre to see Once, which everyone in the world seems to be raving about. Even though I’m iffy on musicals and hate all Irish music (pretty much true), the press and the trailers for this one have swayed me. Why is it of interest to eMusic folks? The main character is played by Glen Hansard, founder of the Frames. Has anyone seen it yet?

07 All of the Ponys songs that departed member Ian Adams wrote, chiefly “Shadow Box” (great Velvet Underground knock-off) from Celebration Castle, and “Fall Inn” (Motown girl-group shambles) and “I Love You ‘Cause (You Look Like Me)” (perhaps the most honest love song ever written) from Laced With Romance. Adams was the garage-punk soul of the Ponys, and I really believe that Turn the Lights Out suffers from his absence.

08 The eMusic Wildcats, the official eMu Intramural Basketball Team. This is, in fact, a real thing, and there are about seven or eight regulars on the squad, including myself. (No other 17 Dotters, however.) Anyway, plainly put, we are terrible. Last night we suffered a crushing (and resounding) defeat to the league’s only (formerly) winless team, dropping our record to 2-4, with one of those victories coming by forfeit. On a positive note, we get most of the rules now, and we’ve finally figured out that basketball substitutions aren’t like hockey line changes. Still, we haven’t been doing you — our subscribers and readers — proud. For that we apologize, and promise to lose harder next time.