The Dunce Cap: August 16, 2010

in: heavy rotation

Marshall's very own Presidential Rob Scrawl!

The Dunce Cap, Vol. 21: You snooze, you lose. Well I have snost and lost. (listen to mix via 8tracks)

1. “I Hear the Bells” – Mike Doughty
2. “Everything Shines” – The Push Stars
3. “The Same Fire” – Bishop Allen
4. “How’s Your Sister?” – Flick
5. “Carry the Zero” – Built to Spill
6. “Shake the Sheets” – Ted Leo & the Pharmacists
7. “Banned (By the Man)” – Someone Still Loves You, Boris Yeltsin
8. “Wish You Were Here” – Ryan Adams
9. “The Lonely 1” – Wilco
10. “In the Beginning” – The Stills

This is an itty, bitty sleepy mix. Mostly. Let’s just say – this ought to be quite the departure from the past few mixes, so imbued with Craig Finn‘s sexy/raspy voice.

It’s been a hectic week here in Lalaland, and I’m jonesin’ for a playlist that’ll soothe my nerves – not increase them. There’s energy in these songs, sure, but there’s also a particular sonorous quality to each of these. Y’know, they make me want to sing along, still, but softly. Except “How’s Your Sister?” But that should go without saying, right? There’s a lyric “Now I – I’m just asking. There ain’t no reason for you to get uptight.” It’s an unnecessary little ditty. And it, of course, requires a louder voice. And, oddly, Flick is a band I can’t seem to find anything about online. This track is from the Cheap Date compilation.

But, seriously. There’s Mike Doughty (yes, from Soul Coughing. And, yes, this track is from one of the most famous scenes in this show I kind of like. Maybe you’ve heard of it. It’s called Veronica Mars.), and SSLYBY and The Push Stars (this sunshine-y song from the There’s Something About Mary soundtrack nearly makes up for the fact that a Google search for the band returns a glowing endorsement from Mr. Matchbox Twenty). It’s a pretty solid mix of tracks to make you smile and feel generally loved. Especially if you don’t pay too much attention to the lyrics. It’s all in the melody this week.

Happy listening, y’all.

Also – Reblogged from Confessions of a Pioneer Woman

The Pioneer Woman's dog Charlie

My dear pal Mike sent me this treasure. It’s from the The Pioneer Woman, a site I enjoy immensely. In this one, she combats the yawn-inducing country life with a little pet experiment. This one’s from June ’09, long before I started to read. It’s a major winner! Check it out at her site.

Book Club: April sites

in: on queue

For the fourth and final portion of April’s Book Club, I am featuring an awesome new Web series updated weekly.

Click-click-click-click-click:

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists

A.V. Undercover
I love The Onion’s AV Club, and I stumbled upon this neat little series they premiered in mid-March. The AV Club, in association with Starbucks, presents a new video each Tuesday featuring a prominent band covering a popular track. AV Club execs compiled a list of 25 tracks, and a new band heads into the Chicago office each week to cover a song of their choice from the list. Songs are chosen on a first-come, first-serve basis for the artists, so, in week 25, the band will play the remaining single song. Check out the first video in the series, Ted Leo & the Pharmacists covering “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears, here (editor’s note: this video would not embed!) -, and be sure to check the AV Club Web site each Tuesday for a brand new video!