Layin’ On The Syrup Thick

Can someone please tell me why it seems that no one can write an intelligent, clever protest song these days? When Sleater-Kinney’s hamfisted “Combat Rock” is the best post-9/11 protest song currently making the rounds, it’s a rather depressing commentary on the state of political pop music. Surely someone out there can write something witty and lacking in both preciousness and bombast, right?

The Beastie Boys have posted a new anti-war song on their website, but jeezy creezy, it’s AWFUL. I’ve never thought of them as being brilliant lyricists, but they are certainly capable of something a little better than this doggeral. It’s almost not worth it to criticize it too much – it’s just too trite to take seriously. As Kenan says, they’ve gone right past mediocrity to actively sucking. Can someone please tap them on the shoulder and tell them to knock it off with the annoying old school homages? It was getting really obnoxious on half of Hello Nasty, but this new song is just grating and amateurish.

Across The Bloggyverse

Let’s face it, I’m very boring today. What are all the other bloggy kids up to?

* Flyboy and Big Sunny D have written interesting things about Adaptation.

* The Secret Origin of Jody Beth Rosen!

* Daniel Frank indulges in some nitpicking about Bringin’ Down The House, which he hated. I can’t believe he actually paid to see it! I probably wouldn’t even watch the thing on tv for free on a boring day.

* Jack Fear has posted an article that he wrote about the political songwriting of Bruce Cockburn which was originally intended for the currently-on-hiatus Barbelith Webzine. It’s very interesting, I’ve never heard Cockburn, but I’m very eager to now.

Dance, Oh Sons And Daughters

Blur “All Your Life” – This has always been one of my favorite Blur songs, it’s an outtake from the Blur album and appears as a b-side on one of the “Beetlebum” singles. As wonderful as it is, I completely understand why it didn’t make the album – it’s maybe a little too similar to “On Your Own”, and the melody on the verses was perhaps a little too close to David Bowie’s “Oh! You Pretty Things” for Blur’s legal department’s comfort.

Brian Jonestown Massacre “Cold To The Touch”

Frank Black with They Might Be Giants “Ten Percenter” (live)