Big Eyes Like Birthday Surprise

Mos Def “Crime & Medicine” – Hmm. Strange. Mos Def essentially covers GZA’s “Liquid Swords” whilst re-writing the verses into something else entirely, treading an odd middle ground between doing his own thing and scoring easy love with Wu-Tang nostalgia. This would have failed in most hands, but Mos Def’s skill and charisma go a long way, and his decision to tip the chorus toward its reggae roots is clever and effective if not extremely inventive. Needless to say, if you are Dave Chappelle, you will probably love this. (Click here to pre-order it from Amazon.)

Muscles “Chocolate, Raspberry, Lemon & Lime” – This one’s a bit of an electro-pop Rorschach test — hyper-twee declaration of new love, or possessive, regressive creep-out? It mostly depends on how you would feel if someone told you that they wished that they could shrink you down to pocket-size so they could “play with you all the time.” Either way, the synths are about as fruity as the title suggests, and it’s a good time even if you’re freaked out by the lyrics. (Click here for Muscles’ MySpace page.)

Elsewhere: Pageblank writes a bit about the awkward identity issues of Clipse’s “Mr. Me Too,” Tom Breihan perfectly articulates the appeal of the Long Blondes’ “You Could Have Both,” Rob Mitchum rightfully tears apart that new OC soundtrack (though I should note that the show itself has recently become fun again), and J. Edward Keyes eviscerates another weak episode of the Gilmore Girls.