Ostensibly a song about various animals battling one another for supremacy, "Stadium Love" is as cheesy and goofball as it is loud and rocking. Metric could record an entire album of songs about random animals fighting each other and I'd be right there nodding my head and jumping up and down until both of my legs were broken. I think Ms. Haines' song is about something deeper than MMA-style animal brawls--possibly how humankind is daily engaged in the same kind of fights for survival as our four legged brethren--but I just like the idea of a rabbit and a dove donning boxing gloves and duking it out in front of a unruly crowd.
The Results:
-Spider vs. Bat: Spider (the spider is poisonous)
-Tiger vs. Rat: Tiger ('cause duh)
-Rabbit vs. Dove: Rabbit (the rabbit just wanted it more, plus doves are all about peace or whatever)
-Owl vs. Dove: Dove (after the rabbit debacle, the dove was sick of being called a pussy; the owl is actually still in a coma)
-Angel vs. Eel: Draw (both parties fought exceptionally well)
66. Suspiria (Goblin)
Suspiria is a creepy movie about an international school of dance inhabited by bloodthirsty witches, and Italian prog rock band Goblin's theme song sets the mood nicely. Nothing could prepare one for falling maggots, torture rooms full of razor wire, and an invisible, centuries old hag quite like the music of Goblin. Turn down the lights and turn up--or pump up, whichever you prefer--the volume on your computering device, and prepare yourself for six minutes of creepiness, Goblin-style.
67. "Alberto Balsalm-Steel Drum Version" (Aphex Twin by way of the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati (CCM) Steel Band directed by Rusty Burge)
I can't think of any instrument more irritating than the steel drums. They remind me of the first and only cruise I've ever been on. For those of you just joining us, I hated that cruise so much. Don't get me wrong, there was nothing inherently wrong with or evil about any of the cruise ship's staff, they were a lovely group of people, especially our personal waiter, Michael. And I have no complaints about the food. The food was epic! It was just everything else: the ports of call (Nassau? More like Snore-sau! Right?); the on-ship entertainment; my unluckiness at the casino; the constant barrage of alcoholic beverage offerings; the whole 'being on a boat in the middle of the vast, endless ocean' thing. All of these nightmares come rushing back to me whenever I hear steel drums. Unless I'm hearing a steel drum version of my favorite Aphex Twin song, which is, incidentally, right here for your listening pleasure:
Spot on, College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati (CCM) Steel Band directed by Rusty Burge.
Songs including steel drums that don't piss me off: "No Signs of Pain" (Azure Ray); "Heartbeats" (The Knife); "Under the Sea" (The Little Mermaid)
68. "Brainbow" (Royal Bangs)
Royal Bangs is my latest discovery. I bought their 2009 album Let It Beep on a whim two weeks ago and it has become a quick favorite. Here they are performing one of my favorite tracks live at a venue called Sticky Fingers for some reason.
Admission: My favoritest favorite song on Let It Beep is called "Shit Xmas," but I couldn't find a place where you can easily listen to it, so I've showcased my second favoritest favorite. You can hear clips of "Shit Xmas" in various places, but my suggestion is that you just man up and buy the damn album already. Isn't my admission of love and respect for it enough, or are you still holding the fact that I've put an ABBA song and an Extreme song on this list against me? Buy Let It Beep, a-hole! But not you Jonathan. I'm gonna make you a copy. See, it pays to be my friend.
