In Which We Get Born Under Unusual Circumstances

The New York Review of Hooks

by Alex Carnevale

The Mets came to Yankee Stadium on Friday afternoon in full uniform like some kind of little league team. Such are the vagaries of the day-night two stadium doubleheader.

Minor league journeyman and Day 1 starter Dan Giese meant to leave Pittsburgh on a mid-afternoon flight. Instead he missed being paged while eating a hamburger, and after waiting at the airport for eight hours, he returned to PNC Park in Pittsburgh and flew with the team on its charter after the evening's game was rained out.

The last Subway Series at Shea Stadium, and the stadium can't get destroyed soon enough.

"Ara Batur" - Sigur Ros (mp3)

This is by far the poppiest thing this band has ever done. The vocals are spectacular at times here. It would be wonderful if someone could come up with an English translation so I can sing along. The greatness of their previous albums is not in doubt, but if this marks their transition into being a lot more fun than Arcade Fire, we support it if it will untighten Win Butler's vaunted asshole.

They also offer a boatload of music on their site, whereas the Fire charges you to view pictures of them if I'm not mistaken.

With proper time to digest this little bit of Coldplay genetalia, this is the most presumptuous rock record of the year. "Lost" is every bit as good as "Swallowed in the Sea" and "Kingdom Come." Still, watching them on the Daily Show gave me 'the Coldplay shame' as it has been termed.

"Lost (acoustic)" - Coldplay (mp3)

It's more like headphone music than something you would rock out to. Maybe they can pull it off live.

Former Philadelphia high school teacher Amos Lee makes a bid for one of the best 20 of the year.

"What's Been Goin' On" - Amos Lee (mp3)

"Jails and Bombs" - Amos Lee (mp3)

"Kid" - Amos Lee (mp3)

"I Want You" - Amos Lee (mp3)

It's lame to rally support behind the n-word as a name for your new album then abandon it and then put out a mixtape under that name, but hey, we don't have a tattoo like that on our backs. Who did it, that Nazi hot girl with reality show?

These are from his mixtape.

"Black President (mp3)

"Legendary (Mike Tyson)" - Nas (mp3)

"Association" - Nas feat. Stic Man (mp3)

Straight lesbian icon Spiteri is a little weird looking. It's good to know straight women dress like this:

"All the Times I Cried" - Sharleen Spiteri (mp3)"

"That Was A Lie" - Sharleen Spiteri (mp3)

It's hard for me to mourn the good George Carlin without thinking of how annoying he got near the end. He's also the last person in the world who would want people whining about him.

Why is Rivers Cuomo still making music under this name? Is this cover supposed to be funny? Rivers Cuomo thinks he's a man: "I'm so confused about Pinkerton for sers." In the Spin magazines of this period there was a Rivers quote about Pinkerton every week. It was either his worst album for his best. It allowed him to establish that he wanted to be a sell-out. Rivers is like the guy in The Time Machine. He's never comfortable with the age that he's in.

"Troublemaker" - Weezer (mp3)

"Pig" - Weezer (mp3)

Mars it's like WTF. You said you didn't have water, but you had water. We haven't been this mad since last paragraph with Rivers Cuomo.

If there will be living beings banished to newly life-giving Plan B for Earth Mars, I have four suggestions.

can I be the latest to tell Nick McCabe to take his guitar and go fuck himself?

There is no bigger apologist for The Verve than me. I can still see myself in a Virgin Records in France, get panicky about getting the new Richard Ashcroft single. I was 14, and probably deranged. Although I still listen to it, most of Ashcroft's work as a solo artist was, lyrically, an undesirable blend of happiness and satisfaction in his marriage to former Spiritualized/Jason Pierce sexual consort Kate Radley. Eventually, I came to loathe and envy Ashcroft's life with Radley, especially the lack of images of Radley in google image search. Still I defended this man. And to have The Verve reunite, something I'd wished for since my parents told me I was special, is wish fulfillment of a most disturbing kind when the tracks they release are this bad. This sounds like what the guys from Hot Chip poop out in the morning. I am so disillusioned right now.

"Love Is Noise" - The Verve (mp3)

The person in the world Mariah Carey is most mad at, Rihanna. We can already see the coming scandal in Rihanna's future. She's scheduled to work with OneRepublic's crazy hit producer Ryan Tedder on her next album.

I don't know why I just got around to listening to this album, but it's so hot for summer, I guess in this case last summer. Whatever, at least it's not the chick experimenting with lesbianism and waking up next to her bf.

I'm so not excited for The Dark Knight, and it's scary how they're using Heath Ledger's image to promote this film. I mean I know they think they're doing the right thing - it does no good to remind your audience of it, but then to feature the Joker so prominently? I never liked that Joker character. Batman had all the worst villains.

Alex Carnevale is the editor of This Recording.

'these are words/that do not go together well"

PREVIOUSLY ON THIS RECORDING

Women of the year.

The swimming pool.

Danish gets halfway through the best tracks of ‘07.