Kevin Warwick, Reader staff writer, is obsessed with…
Friday Night Lights theme song It officially feels like winter when I’m plowing through episodes of a critically acclaimed, now-defunct TV drama. I’ve listened to the Friday Night Lights theme by W.G. Snuffy Walden approximately 43 times thus far, and it’s obvious that the rolling and atmospheric Explosions in the Sky sound, ripped off or not, makes the football exploits of Dillon Panther dreamboats like Tim Riggins, Matt Saracen, and Coach Taylor all the more inspiring. Can’t lose.
Sparks, “Mickey Mouse” The Mael brothers have been experimenting with the Sparks brand of quirky new-wave synth-pop since the early 70s. The 1982 album Angst in My Pants was at that point one of the band’s most accessible, finally prompting recognition in the States. Plus, what says “America!” better than a track about Mickey Mouse? The hooky, synth-rock song is a clap-your-hands, big-grin dancer with auspicious lyrics like “Basically, everything is easy / Give it a try, you’ll see I’m right / ‘Cause if a mouse can be special, well, so can you.”
Black Breath Yes, it’s cool getting an advance promo of an album. It’s even cooler when that album is the follow-up to one of 2010’s best metal releases. Black Breath‘s sophomore effort, Sentenced to Life, drops at the end of March and ups the Entombed-wrecked ferocity of Heavy Breathing, if that’s even possible. These dudes embody old-school gritty thrash metal in the best sense. Rippers like the title track and “Mother Abyss” will make chucking cinderblocks at shit that breaks seem like the best idea ever.
He asks…
Abraham Levitan, cohost of Shame That Tune and singer/keyboardist for Baby Teeth, what he’s obsessed with. His answers are…
MOG Spotify mania is all well and good, but slightly baffling—MOG was offering the same thing first (at least in the U.S.) and still does it better. Cleaner interface, bigger selection, higher sound quality, and a slicker mobile version. Spotify owns the streaming world due to its partnership with Facebook, but MOG is the Betamax to Spotify’s VHS.
Van Morrison, Hymns to the Silence An out-of-print early-90s album from the Belfast Cowboy. Its level of celebrity self-absorption is sort of reprehensible (Van on being a star: “It’s just a job, y’know / And it’s no sweet lorraine / Why oh why must I / Always explain?”). At the same time, going public in the autumn of your career with a song called “I’m Not Feeling It Anymore” is a pretty bold move.
M.I.A. Who needs a friend right now? M.I.A. does. In the wake of Fingergate, when everyone from the FCC to Madonna to Pitchfork wants to throw her under the bus, you’ve gotta wonder: When did a little well-placed brattiness become a rock ‘n’ roll crime? Isn’t that what rock is about? When I Googled “standing up for m.i.a.,” all I found were babies named Mia taking their first steps.
Baby Teeth plays Schubas on Fri 3/2 to celebrate the release of its new full-length, White Tonight; Outer Minds and Bobby Conn open.
He asks…
Rebecca Worth, sixth grader at Shepard Middle School and student in Levitan’s music-teaching group, Piano Power, what she’s obsessed with. Her answers are…
Adele She has a different tone than other singers. She has a unique voice—I like how she uses it. She has a large range of notes.
Maroon 5 I like the different melodies they use for their songs, and I enjoy the lead singer, Adam. He also has a unique voice. A lot of singers have the same kind of voice, but not him.
Joyful Noise The movie was about people who were in a church choir. It was good—I definitely noticed the singing. A lot of the singing was church- or Christian-related, so if you’re not Christian, it might not be as enjoyable. But it’s still really good.