Sometimes It's Safe to Buy the Hype

I prove this in two words: The Beatles.

But Danger Mouse proved it again with this excellent record. Todd e-mailed me about it, and then Joshua e-mailed me about it (come to think of it, both of these guys bought me a Stylophone at the same time--WTF?).

Kathy doesn't usually like the stuff I play. Well, the kids and I listened to the streaming NPR version of this record at my office; then I was playing it at home, and Kathy was like "what is that?" and I said, "oh, hey--it's this cool record by Gnarls Barkley, but it's not really Gnarls Barkley, it's Danger Mouse, and there's this lawsuit and EMI won't release it, so Danger Mouse is like selling a booklet and blank CD-R but you can download it for free, and David Lynch is involved and that guy from The Strokes, and the Flaming Lips, and even Iggy Pop..."

Somewhere in the middle of that I'll bet she tuned me out, which would not have been rude because I was just babbling, and when I was done, she said, "Well, I like it."

So I put it on her iPod.

* * *

And I listen to it in the car, and at work, and I made Bill let me come to his office with the record on a flash stick so he could put it on his iPod and listen to it.

I won't bother to write a review--much hipper people than me will/have. I don't have much to say, except:

• The Beatles. You can hear it. It's good.
• The guy from Super Furry Animals has a great voice. They're Welsh. They're more famous than Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, which is like my favorite Welsh band ever. You should listen to them. I have a mix to get you hooked. "Happiness" is one of the most beautiful songs ever. There should be more fiddle in rock and roll.
• Love the production on this. The guy from The Strokes has a great voice.
• Good lyrics. Especially "Just War," which is sung by the Super Furry Animals guy. He's Welsh.
• Iggy Pop is funny. The song is growing on me. Vocals sound like from The Idiot. The guitars and drums rock but sound muted somehow. I'm sure it's intentional.
• The songs with David Lynch sound like his movies. It was all Blue Velvet and Twin Peaks to me. Whoa, that was a long time ago.
• The first four songs are brilliant. I listen over and over.
• Suzanne Vega! What would have happened if "Luca" had never happened? I never liked that song. The one she sings here is good. Did you know that A. A. Milne hated being known for writing Whinnie the Pooh?