I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor (Day 138)

M Ward & My Morning Jacket - "Rollercoaster" (live)
Weezer - "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations On A Shaker Hymn)"
A song from the newest Weezer album has popped up two days in a row. So they've gone ahead and titled another record anonymously- - again. This time it's subtitled [Red Album] so as not to be confused with [Blue Album] of "Buddy Holly" fame or [Green Album] with "Hash Pipe." But I'm not going to talk about their lazy album naming. (Although, damn, that IS lazy.) More importantly: Do I still like Weezer? Good question. I think I put this on here out of reflex, not really thinking about how much I like or even dislike what the band has done over the past few years. I think the logic goes as such: these guys are usually good for some good, fun pop hooks which, no matter what, are new to me. So, why not? Well, that blank check may have just been cashed. What is up with this piece of junk song? If it were Flight of the Conchords or Tenacious D, it may be funny. But I don't see the irony of this "Bohemian Rhapsody" meets Bloodhound Gang thing they have going on. It's pretty annoying - - and I even like goofy Weezer. (In fact, I was known to play "Beverly Hills" from the last album waaay too much.) Am I just the last person to be over Weezer? Are they already so uncool, that even writing this blog entry shows just how tragically uncool I am? Not that I'm trying to be cool or not cool, I mean, I'm a dad. I'm just wondering what the real taste-makers out there think. I won't dare consult Pitchfork on this one. I think I can guess what they think.
Arctic Monkeys - "I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor"
Funny that this would follow Weezer, because Arctic Monkeys may be a younger, British version. Good-time, hook-laden rock. I fell for this song whenever it came out (2006?). And I still like it.
Modest Mouse - "Ocean Breathes Salty"
Tom Petty - "The Golden Rose"
Rufus Wainwright - "Grey Gardens"
Eleventh Dream Day - "The Blindside"

And then I got to work.

Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 7
Total minutes of music (approx.): 38
Song with the most previous plays: "I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor"- 16
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 6
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: Well, it's over. And the New York Times editorial board basically summed up exactly how I feel. Here is their opinion of last night's "debate." It's two big excerpts, but I believe it's worth reading in it's entirety.

We cannot recall when there were lower expectations for a candidate than the ones that preceded Sarah Palin’s appearance in Thursday night’s vice-presidential debate with Joseph Biden. After a series of stumbling interviews that raised serious doubts even among conservatives about her fitness to serve as vice president, Ms. Palin had to do little more than say one or two sensible things and avoid an election-defining gaffe.

By that standard, but only by that standard, the governor of Alaska did well. But Ms. Palin never really got beyond her talking points in 90 minutes, mostly repeating clichés and tired attack lines and energetically refusing to answer far too many questions.

Senator Biden did well, avoiding one of his own infamous gaffes, while showing a clear grasp of the big picture and the details. He left Ms. Palin way behind on most issues, especially foreign policy and national security, where she just seemed lost. It was in those moments that her lack of experience — two terms as mayor of a tiny Anchorage suburb and less than two years as governor — was most painfully evident.

...

Ms. Palin’s primary tactic was simply to repeat the same thing over and over: John McCain is a maverick. So is she. To stay on that course, she had to indulge in some wildly circular logic: America does not want another Washington insider. They want Mr. McCain (who has been in Congress for nearly 26 years). Ms. Palin condemned Wall Street greed and said she and Mr. McCain would “demand” strict oversight. In virtually the next breath, she said government should “get out of the way” of American business.

There were occasional, disturbing flashes of the old, pre-campaign Sarah Palin. Asked about the causes of global warming, Ms. Palin suggested that man had some role — but she wasn’t saying how much.

In the end, the debate did not change the essential truth of Ms. Palin’s candidacy: Mr. McCain made a wildly irresponsible choice that shattered the image he created for himself as the honest, seasoned, experienced man of principle and judgment. It was either an act of incredible cynicism or appallingly bad judgment.