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Another 3 months gone, another time to round up music I've added to my collection... all these I've ranked "3 stars" or greater, with the 4 and 5 ones highlighted in red.

Unfortunately, the very best song I added to my collection this quarter, the only 5-star song and maybe one of my top 5 ever, I can't post here... it's not really released! It's called "As It Comes" by "The Exploding Voids", it was played over the credits of the same German artist's (Daniel Vogelmann) horror short "Wilt" (Welk, originally) and he was kind enough to send me an MP3. I will absolutely write more about it once it's out...

Christmas Hip Hop - one year for Christmas I got the kind of great cassette (it was the 80s) Christmas Rap (I blogged the Cover Art before.) So many of the tracks really stuck with me:

• Christmas In Hollis Run-D.M.C. Such a classic.
• Let The Jingle Bells Rock Sweet Tee. I always loved the slow mechanic loop in the background, and Sweet Tee's syncopated delivery.
• Dana Dane Is Coming To Town Dana Dane
• Christmas In The City King Sun
• Chillin' With Santa Derek B

When I ripped my whole CD collection, somehow I missed the "Blues Brother" soundtrack, which was HUGELY influential on anyone in a high school jazz band in the 80s and early 90s... some of the songs seem a bit too polished now, but they're still pretty awesome.

• Peter Gunn Theme
• Shake A Tail Feather (oo, Movie clip with Ray Charles!)
• The Old Landmark (ditto but with James Brown)
• Theme From Rawhide (triple ditto)
• Minnie The Moocher
• Sweet Home Chicago (quadruple ditto)
• Jailhouse Rock (over the credits...)

Progressive, Alt-Rock, Softer... I dunno. I fail musical genres.

• Concrete Wall Zee Avi. My friend Erica had us go see her live, based in large part on the terrificness of this song.
• How You Remind Me Nickelback. I'm not afraid to like music I think sounds good. In this case, I was reminded of this song by a Motown tribute made to placate protesters against Nickelback.
• Unwritten Natasha Bedingfield. More music I'm not afraid to like. This is a great sounding song with a nice upbeat message.
• Solsbury Hill Peter Gabriel. Another unabashedly optimisitc sounding piece... I love the role it has in making this recut trailer for The Shining into a feel-good dramedy.
• Off To The Races Lana Del Rey. Amber's big on this gal right now, and I dig some of her songs.
• Nantes Beirut. Accordians and Euphoniums, what more do you want in a piece?
• The Humbling River Puscifer. This song is the incongruous backdrop for the trailer for the video game Transfomers: Fall of Cybertron.
• The Guitar Guy Clark. Daniel Vogelmann mentioned some of his American cowboy influences, including Guy Clark, so I checked it out. A bit like a softer and more haunting "Devil Went Down to Georgia"
• Glycerine (Acoustic) Bush. 90s Calling! This was on one of Amber's playlists.

Electronica, Party, Hip-hop...

• Party Rock Anthem Lmfao. Somehow I totally missed Lmfao 'til one of the summer interns at work came back for a visit and mentioned these guys at played at Tufts' Spring Fling.
• Sexy And I Know It Lmfao. Then when xkcd made a cartoon riff on this song, I downloaded it too.
• Super Bass Nicki Minaj. Weirdly an obscene Eminem to this artist made me wonder if any of her songs were any fun.
• T.H.E (The Hardest Ever) will.i.am. This is a super fun video.
• Smell Yo Dick Riskay. Amber hates this song but I like the note of sadness it carries.
• hooked on a hollaback blue swede vs gwen stefani. I ripped a cover of this mashup from this video of.... well, it's a naked woman hula hooping.
• Christmas Tree Lady GaGa. Lightly racy lyrics, I think this one came up on Pandora's Modern Holiday channel.
• Wu-Tang Clan Aint Nuthing Ta F' Wit Wu-Tang Clan. Weirdly this song has a cameo as a lullabye in that "A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas". Which I somehow managed to see in 2D. Thanks, Somerville Cinema.
• electric pow wow drum A Tribe Called Red. Cordelia, member of the Seneca tribe, LJ'd about this (I think)

A few random songs with retro appeal:

• You Got Me Hummin' Sam & Dave. From some Pandora "Hold on, I'm Coming" (Sam+Dave) station I made. Like I've said, I'd like to think I'd know these guys even if they weren't what was on the Blues Bros' car 8-track, but I'm not sure.
• Cherry Cherry Neil Diamond. We saw Diamond honored at the Kennedy Center Honors. Plus, Saving Silverman.

Two cool 70s instrumentals (rare that instrumentals make it into my playlists) by Ananda Shankar...

• Streets Of Calcutta. This song is the background for this fantastic fake Nutrigrain "I Feel Great" Ad.
• Dancing Drums

Finally, weird and novelty songs.

• Pound On My Muffin Shira. Todd was showing this video at his New Year's Party. It's... really bad.
• Seven Nation Army (Remix) The Glitch Mob/The White Stripes. Powerful remix, saw it on this fan video for Pats/Broncos: Round 2.
• Nascar Prayer Songify This. So fun and catchy. I wonder if this is ridiculous, or just what religion should be.
• Oh Yeah Yello. Weirdly, guys in QA were singing this even before the recent Ferris Bueller tribute superbowl ad.
• Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) Marilyn Manson. Kind of goofy cover, saw it in the Wrath of the Titans trailer.

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Just remember: it's not true unless it makes you laugh. That is the one and sole and infallible test of all ideas that will ever be presented to you.

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I always look for a place to pay for a (DRM-free) MP3, but when that fails beemp3.com is pretty good (Hot Chocolate, Shonen Knife)