I Want To Have Liam Finn’s Babies (AKA Liam Finn Performs On Letterman) March 4, 2008

So I included this song in the shower mix I posted back in early February, and if you didn’t listen to it - shame on you! This is one of the best songs of the year! This David Letterman performance is alright, though I’d argue it doesn’t pack quite the same punch as the studio version. The last minute of the studio version is epic. Anyway. This video still kicks ass because I have something of a beard fetish (are you reading this, Sam Beam?), and Liam Finn has quite the sexy beard. Meow.

This Is The (Early) Mixtape Tuesday In Which Betty Pretends To Like Guitars March 3, 2008

(photo by tetheredto)

Okay, so, I will be on a mini-road trip tomorrow and won’t be able to post Mixtape Tuesday, so I decided to do a little overachieving and post it today.

Ladyhawk - I Don’t Always Know What You’re Saying

Poney Poney - Cross the Fader

Taken By Cars - Uh Oh

Does It Offend You, Yeah? - With A Heavy Heart (I Regret To Inform You)

Have A Nice Life - Bloodhail

DOWNLOAD FULL MIX

Mixtape Tuesday: Get Up Off Your Lazy Asses And Dance February 26, 2008

(photo by Jinjoo Hwang)

Little Boots - Stuck on Repeat

La Chansons - Workout Love

South Central - Golden Dawn

Radio LXMBRG - Feel the Heat

DOWNLOAD FULL MIX

All I Wanna Do Is Pose Pose Pose Pose And Wear Marc Jacobs February 21, 2008

I went through a few titles to this post (”MIA For Marc Jacobs“, “MIA Shows Some Nip In The Last Photo“, “MIA Wears Lots Of Yellow And Men’s Garments“) before settling on this one.  Honestly, once you start singing “All I wanna do is pose pose pose pose and (cha chingg!) an’ wear Marc Jacobs,” I promise it will be in your head for the rest of the day.

No one on da corner has shoez like us! We styled and primped like Vicky Beckham! Some some some I some I try on, some I some I say noooo…

Mixtape Tuesday: Oldies But Goodies, February 19, 2008 February 19, 2008

(photo by Sarah Marshall)

Unless otherwise noted, all of my mixtapes here will feature “new” music. Of course, “new” is relative. But generally it means the songs are on albums that have been released recently or are set to release sometime in the following months. I want to be your source of awesome new music. Sometimes, though, I will share with you some oldies but goodies - songs I love that are at least 1 year old. So here are some of my very favorite not-new songs.

01. Notorious B.I.G. - Hypnotize

02. Talking Heads - And She Was

03. Gui Boratto - Like You

04. James Brown - Get Up Offa That Thing / Release The Pressure

05. Gillian Welch - Black Star (Radiohead Cover)

06. Broken Social Scene - Anthems For A Seventeen Year-Old Girl

DOWNLOAD MIX 

Covers We Approve Of: Klaxons do ‘No Diggity’ February 15, 2008

So it’s inevitable that when I hear this song, I remember a certain junior high dance in the old cramped cafeteria. I wasn’t ever really one for such things, and I think it was possibly one of three dances I went to from 5th grade on (I didn’t go to prom, for what it’s worth). Anyway, I remember exactly where I was in the cafeteria when the lame local DJ put on this track, I remember what I wore and how I did my hair and how desperately I wanted to grow up to get it all over with. It’s really amusing to look back on, actually. I mean, junior high was extremely lame, I think most can agree, but back then there wasn’t all that much to worry about. [Well actually I did have a “…. fuck” moment when I realized this guy I’d been dating for a few weeks (but had seen very little of during that time) was probably homosexual. I wrote him a note and slipped it into his locker, something along the lines of, “I’ve seen you three times in these two weeks and you never even hold my hand, let alone try for second base, perhaps we should see other people,” and I remember him begging me to change my mind. My early gaydar was mortifyingly accurate.] Anyway, now I have bills and debt and responsibilities, so in retrospect junior high really couldn’t have been so bad.

These are the things I think of when I hear this song. Lame dances, absent gay boyfriends, and debt. Enjoy!

Klaxons - No Diggity

Something Nice For Your Friday: Fiona Apple & Friends Do “Tonight You Belong To Me”

Yoko Ono And Lennon Come Together? February 14, 2008

Yesterday the entire world thought Yoko Ono was being an ass for suing hard-rock singer Lennon Murphy over the trademark for the name “Lennon.” Julian Lennon even used his myspace blog to let everyone know that Lennon has his full support.

Here are some choice quotes from Lennon’s statement regarding the lawsuit:

“I’m not sure what confusion I could be causing since I don’t have the $50,000 to hire a lawyer and fight this. If people were confusing me with John Lennon and accidently [sic] buying my records I should have more than enough money to live my life and hire a lawyer? I wish that was the case. I haven’t worked since Oct. 2007, so I live on just enough to get through the months until I get back on the road. I have no idea what I’m going to do yet in this situation, and I’m stressed, angry, and scared.

“This is my life. I have no respect for the name Murphy. It was my father’s name we will leave it at that. I have represented myself as Lennon because this is my name. That was the name that meant so much to my mother . . .

“…I play music, my name is Lennon, and the most heartbreaking thing out of this whole situation is the insult it gives to my late mother and who she believed in; on top of demeaning the man that John Lennon was and will always be… “

I have to admit I got a little teary eyed reading Lennon’s statement the other day. (No, it’s not “that time.”) But when I opened my newsreader this morning, I was delighted to find this statement from Ms. Ono:

“I am really hurt if people thought that I told a young artist to not use her own name in her performances and had sought to sue her. I did no such thing. I hope this allegation will be cleared.”

Long story short: Yoko is not suing Lennon — just giving her band a ton of free publicity right now. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Adam Green Looks Like Nicky Hilton In The New ‘Morning After Midnight’ Video

So I’m sitting here watching Adam Green’s new music video for his sweet song “Morning After Midnight” and I’m all like, “Ohhh, shit! Is that Nicky Hilton?”

Of course not! But in drag, Green does look a little Nicky Hilton-ish and that makes me very uncomfortable. QUICK! Someone tell me I’m straight trippin’ and that Green doesn’t look at all like Boy Hilton so I can get back to comfortably digging him.

Green’s new solo album Sixes & Sevens will be released on March 18.

Mixtape Tuesday: February 12, 2008 February 12, 2008

http://www.mediafire.com/?bzdixmldfw2

01. Vampire Weekend - M79

Vampire Weekend is completely overhyped….. but this song’s string arrangements make it irresistible. And believe me, I’ve tried resisting.

02. The LK - Blakboy vs the snow

This band is going to explode this year (of course they are - they’re Swedish, and we all know how I feel about music that comes from Sweden). Their album ‘VS the Snow’ is very solid but this is my favorite song of the bunch. If you don’t like the singer’s voice, hang tight, the last half of the song is gorgeous.

03. She and Him - Why do you let me stay here?

Wonderful collaboration between indie fave M. Ward and actress Zooey Deschanel. This song will make you bop in your chair.

04. The Whip - Divebomb

Really, really wonderful electronic track.

05. Hologram - Blazey Storm

The first half of this song reminds me a bit of Gillian Welch, and then the vocals die off for the guitar-driven second half of the song, which is basically awesome.

06. The Knux - Cappuccino

I love the beat on this one, and though rapping about fresh cappuccinos with mocha twists sounds pretty lame, it grows on you. Trust.

(The art above is by the enormously talented Nicole Linde. You can buy her art here and look at more here. Buy up her prints before she gets so famous you can’t afford any of them!)