PlasticBoy

The album of the week is the Lemonheads’ Lemonheads. What’s with the self titled albums, lately?

I’ve been using Google Reader as my feed reader pretty much since it was released. Today they pushed an update that takes it from really good to awesome. The interface has been largely redesigned and they’ve added all of the features I’ve been pining for: folder view, river-of-news view, unread count, and mark all as read. More details on the Google Reader Blog.

1980s Sophisti-Pop New Wave Hits: These songs added a touch of class to the New Wave era. 1. I Confess – The Beat / The English Beat (USA) 2. When Am I Going To Make A Living – Sade 3. Long Hot Summer – (single version) – The Style Council 4. Each And Everyone – Everything But The Girl 5. Horsin’ Around – Prefab Sprout 6. That’s The Way It Goes – Swing Out Sister 7. How She Threw It All Away – The Style Council 8. Little Fish From The Southern Sea – Isabelle Antena 9. Johnny Come Home – Fine Young Cannibals 10. Rosemary – Dislocation Dance 11. You Keep It All In – The Beautiful South 12. Communication – Spandau Ballet 13. The Language Of Life – Everything But the Girl 14. Have You Ever Had It Blue – The Style Council 15. Funny How Love Is – Fine Young Cannibals 16. Jezebel – Sade 17. I Remember That – Prefab Sprout 18. The Power Is Yours – The Redskins 19. Remind Me – Dislocation Dance 20. Cross My Heart – Everything But The Girl 21. Ordinary Day – Matt Bianco 22. How Men Are – Aztec Camera 23. Village Of The Sun – Isabelle Antena 24. Now You’re Not Here – Swing Out Sister 25. Holding Back The Years – Simply Red

LeToya’s Hit List: 1. Complicated – Avril Lavigne 2. You’re Still The One – Shania Twain 3. Open My Heart – Yolanda Adams 4. Superstar – Luther Vandross 5. So Amazing – Luther Vandross 6. Overjoyed – Stevie Wonder 7. Ribbon In The Sky – Stevie Wonder 8. No Ordinary Love – Sade 9. In Da Club – 50 Cent 10. I Found My Everything – Mary J. Blige 11. What You Know – T.i. 12. Breakin’ My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes) – Mint Condition 13. Say My Name – Destiny’s Child 14. Big Pimpin’ – Jay-Z 15. We Belong Together – Mariah Carey 16. No More Drama – Mary J. Blige 17. Hollaback Girl – Gwen Stefani 18. Human Nature – Michael Jackson 19. That’s The Way Love Goes – Janet Jackson 20. My Heart Will Go On (Love Theme From ‘Titanic’) – Celine Dion

WGBH will broadcast the opening concert of the Beantown Jazz Fest with my favorite Jazz pianist, McCoy Tyner. It’s Friday night at 8.

The album of last week was Ben Kweller’s Ben Kweller.

Dig This! Winners – September 2006: In this recurring feature, we present you with tracks by some of our favorite rising acts. 1. Montanita – Ratatat 2. Hi – Psapp 3. Deep Inside – The Platinum Pied Pipers 4. Deadwood – Dirty Pretty Things 5. Mama’s Room – Under The Influence Of Giants 6. Wildcat – Ratatat 7. Needle And Thread – Psapp 8. Stay With Me – The Platinum Pied Pipers 9. Bang Bang You’re Dead – Dirty Pretty Things 10. Meaningless Love – Under The Influence Of Giants

Totally Autumn: From Flaming Lips to Guns N’ Roses to Sinatra, the musical moods of autumn span the spectrum like leaves on September trees. 1. My Cosmic Autumn Rebellion – The Flaming Lips 2. Autumn Sweater – Yo La Tengo 3. Autumn Stone – The Small Faces 4. September In The Rain – Frank Sinatra 5. Autumn Shade II – The Vines 6. Autumn – Mia Doi Todd 7. September Song – Spain 8. September 13 – Deodato 9. September Gurls – Big Star 10. Early Autumn – Ella Fitzgerald 11. Lost In Autumn – The Sea And Cake 12. Old September Blues – My Morning Jacket 13. Chinese Translation – M. Ward 14. October Teen – The Mother Hips 15. Un P’tit Air – Tetes Raides 16. November Afternoon – Dizzy Gillespie 17. November Has Come – Gorillaz 18. Hey Mama Wolf – Devendra Banhart 19. Mr. November – The National 20. Denouncing November Blue (Uneasy Writer) – The Avett Brothers 21. November – Tom Waits 22. November Rain – Guns N’ Roses 23. Leslie Anne Levine – The Decemberists 24. Children of December – The Slip

The latest software update for Sonos music players allows them to stream music directly from Rhapsody. Previously, you had to keep the Rhapsody jukebox software running on a Windows PC in order to access the service from any hardware players. In other news, Sonos is still way too expensive.

10 Years Without Pac: On this, the 10th anniversary of his death, we look back at the career of Tupac Shakur, one of the greatest to ever do it. 1. Ambitionz Az A Ridah – Tupac Shakur 2. Runnin’ (Dying To Live) – (featuring Notorious B.I.G.) – 2Pac 3. The Realist Killaz – 2Pac featuring 50 Cent 4. Loyal To The Game – Tupac Shakur 5. How Do U Want It – Tupac Shakur 6. Minnie The Moocher – Tupac Shakur 7. Thug N U Thug N Me – 2Pac 8. Everything They Owe – 2Pac 9. Still I Rise – 2Pac + Outlawz 10. Baby Don’t Cry (Keep Ya Head Up II) – 2Pac + Outlawz 11. Thugz Mansion – (featuring Nas/J Phoenix, Nas acoustic) – 2Pac 12. F*** Em All – (featuring The Outlawz) – 2Pac 13. 2 Of Amerikaz Most Wanted – 2Pac 14. Smile – Scarface 15. World Don’t Take Me Personally – Young Swoop G feat. 2pac 16. Dusted `N’ Disgusted – E-40 17. Homies & Thuggs (feat Tupac and Master P) (The Original) (Amended LP Version) – Scarface 18. The Pledge Remix (Feat. Ashanti, Nas, 2Pac) – Ja Rule 19. 4 Tha Hustlas – Ant Banks 20. Million Dollar Spot – E-40 21. Living In Pain (featuring 2Pac, Mary J. Blige and Nas) – The Notorious B.i.g. 22. Jealous Got Me Strapped – Spice 1 23. Pain Is Love – Ja Rule 24. Panther Power – Tupac Shakur 25. I Ain’t Mad At Cha – Tupac Shakur

I apologize for the total lack of albums of the week lately but I’ll try to make up for it with this list of albums I’ve been enjoying:

• I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass – Yo La Tengo
• Bitter Tea – The Fiery Furnaces
• Surprise – Paul Simon
• Classics – Ratatat
• Savane – Ali Farka Toure

Firefox cofounder Blake Ross very funnily relates the story of popup blocking in Netscape 7 in a guest appearance on the Daily WTF.

It’s hard for me to write a WTF, not because I can’t remember one, but because I remember too many. Netscape was one giant WTF, or as they called it back then, AOL. The company had grown so inept that “WTF” became just another thing we said each day, like “Hey” or “What time is it?” or “We just lost another 5%” or “Marketing wants to replace the Back button with an ad for Bowflex”.

“How Not to be Seen” in Halo.

John C. McGinley (Dr. Cox from Scrubs): John C. McGinley from the Emmy-nominated television series Scrubs shares some of his favorite jams in this playlist. 1. Let’s Get It Started – Black Eyed Peas 2. California Love (RMX) – 2Pac 3. All That Heaven Will Allow – Bruce Springsteen 4. Angel From Montgomery – Bonnie Raitt 5. Lose Yourself – Eminem 6. Suffragette City – David Bowie 7. Hung Up – Madonna 8. Bad – U2 9. Best Of You – Foo Fighters 10. Minutes To Memories – John Mellencamp 11. Coma Girl – Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros 12. Jesus Walks – Kanye West 13. Seven Nation Army – The White Stripes

Touch and Go Turns 25: 1. Hello? Is This Thing On? – !!! 2. Girl, You’ll Be A Woman Soon – Urge Overkill 3. Staring at the Sun – TV On The Radio 4. Park Avenue – Girls Against Boys 5. Pig Foot And Beer – Killdozer 6. Fortress – Pinback 7. Judge Hot Fudge – Didjits 8. Knock That Door – Enon 9. Stupid Americans – The Ex 10. Interstellar Hardrive – Man Or Astro-Man? 11. Amicus – Scratch Acid 12. Bomb – Sally Timms 13. Little Chang, Big City – Seam 14. Chinese Handcuffs – The New Year 15. Noah’s Ark – CocoRosie 16. Some Summers They Drop Like Flys – Dirty Three 17. Nerves – Silkworm 18. The Spell – The Black Heart Procession 19. Born Into The World – Supersystem 20. Luv Machine – Blonde Redhead 21. Peace and Love – Quasi 22. Quattro (World Drifts In) – Calexico 23. The Poisoned Mine – Tara Jane O’Neil 24. Steam, Rain, And Stuff – Uzeda 25. Do Something Right – Arcwelder