It Makes You Forget What It Means To Be Free

Patton Oswalt “My Christmas Memory” – The best Comedian of Comedy shares a Christmas memory from his youth involving Alvin and the Chipmunks. There’s really not a lot more I can say without wrecking the bit for you. However, you might want to avoid the “mash-up” version made by a fan that has recently been posted on Oswalt’s site – it’s overly literal and omits the funniest part of the routine, and that’s all before the beats come in. Yikes. (Click here to buy it from Patton Oswalt.)

Islands “Swans (Life After Death)” – At nearly ten minutes, this song feels like it’s stuck in some sort of eternal homestretch. It’s restless and eager, but never quite where it wants to be as it pushes onward towards some vague horizon. Unsurprisingly, the lyrics seem to be a meditation on mortality. (Click here for the Rough Trade site.)