I own two Stereophonics albums--Performance and Cocktails as well as the better Just Enough Education to Perform--but have never been a huge fan (I don't buy their new albums on sheer faith). They've always been a fairly straight-forward rock band, with kind of a bluesy, at times faux Zeppelin bent. Ironically, their only song which I can remember getting airplay stateside was "Have a Nice Day" off JEEP, which is a good song but kind of lame too.

Their new album Language. Sex. Violence. Other? has gotten ok reviews, but their first single Dakota is actually their first to debut at #1 on the UK charts. It's also supposedly more electronic, meaning they put a synthesizer on a couple songs. So here's a quick summary:

Stereophonics / "Dakota"
So, yeah...people in England like it. And I concur--it's pretty chill despite not being ballady, but it's got a wussy (but good) solo riff and this sugar buzz synth backdrop which isn't overwhelming but works just about perfectly. Anyway, courtesy of Bliss Pop (and inspired by a recent mix cd I got),

Stereophonics / "Maybe Tomorrow"
The only song I heard off their last album, You Gotta Go There to Come Back, it's pretty decent but never inspired me to find out more. I think Mulldoggey liked this one.

If you like those, check out their website...it's a little flash-convoluted but you can listen to a lot of their songs. My favorites are "Vegas Two Times," "Maybe," and "Lying in the Sun."

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Random NYC band, kind of an electronic/indie hybrid, but good: Burnside Project. [referred by Karo]

Burnside Project / "Cue the Pulse to Begin"


Is that a red velvet sweater jacket?

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If you like Napoleon Dynamite, you'll like this link (it's real...seriously, Carly).

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I think the whole Gary Sheffield incident at Fenway has been totally exaggerated. For real fan interference, check out this clip from the AC Milan-Inter Milan Champions League semifinal last week...Dida, AC Milan's Brazilian keeper, gets nailed by a flare after Inter fans were upset by a disallowed goal.

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An auto racing accident so freakishly terrible it's...almost funny? Well, no, but...

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Rosa forwarded me a link to the trailer for Kontroll, a Hungarian film set in the Budapest subway. Normally foreign trailers suck because the whole language thing is a limiting factor in conveying what the movie is about, but this one works because it's so stylized and bizarre. The music in the first half works very well. Also, bonus points for prominently featuring a chick in a bear suit.

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A Korean guy who took his written drivers' test 270 times before passing.

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The evolution of religious choice across America's generations.