David Sedaris's New Book

All of us self-promote, which is what I am about to do. Don't say I didn't warn you.

To read a thoughtful review of David Sedaris's new book, When You Are Engulfed in Flames, check out Campus Progress. The review - yes written by yours truly - considers Sedaris's work as whole then details what readers will find in his newest work.

Invasion of the Ghosts

In just a day I discovered two bands I love that have "ghost" in their names. The Black Ghosts, calling the UK home, make some rich eletronica that elevates pop music beyond stupid love songs. Their songs are catchy, easy to move to, and up tempo fun. Likewise, Holy Ghost gets the beats going. Their music is more subtle compared to the tunes The Black Ghosts turn out, however their electronica is still up tempo with lots of well-crafted blips and beats. You may not have their songs stuck in you head, but they get the party started nonetheless.

Girl Talk - Free the Music

The first time I heard Girl Talk I had to sit down. It was October 2006 and my friend brought over Night Ripper, the third album from the DJ Gregg Gillis. He popped the CD into the stereo and we just sat on the sofa and listened - not once, but twice. 

As music lovers, we were blown away by the ease with which Gillis had mixed all these seemingly different songs and genres together. That's right, we were blown away by a mash-up DJ, but not just any mash-up DJ. Girl Talk might be the best because he creates new songs from old ones, which is more than what most mash-up DJs do. 

Gillis has a new album, Feed the Animals and he's asking for donations. Radiohead did a similar setup with its last album, but in the case of Gillis it's more interesting because there are some people who do not consider him an artist because he's "just sampling." Personally, I deem Gillis a postmodern music deity because his music is fun and exciting. But decide for yourself and check out what's done on Girl Talk's website.   

Pete Philly and Perquisite

Let's set the scene for this eclectic hip hop group I just discovered: On vacation last week I was cursing with a girl friend and she had Pete Philly and Perquisite in her CD player. She lives in Minneapolis, not a place known for hip hop. Pete Philly and Perquisite call the Netherlands home, also not a place known for hip hop. For some reason their music spoke to the moment. It's not super upbeat, but not down tempo either. Basically the group sounds like Outkast if Outkast listened to a lot of Latin and World music.

Pete Philly and Perquisite are interesting because their hip hop comes from many musical canons. When listening you hear a lot of influences, which is not the case in mainstream hip hop. It's a sad but exciting day when two dudes from the Netherlands create better hip hop music than most artists in American, the birth place of the genre.

Video of the Week - Katy Perry

"I Kissed a Girl" by Katy Perry is all about girl power. Sure there's the stereotypical girl-on-girl pillow fight and come-hither gazes from Perry, who is oh so cute, but the song and video focus on fun details that are more note worthy than your typical Top 40 love song. Besides any song that talks about cherry chap stick is great in my opinion.  

Felix Da Housecat

Disco and funk have met electronica in Felix Da Housecat's crazy-fun music. He's been making music for 20 years and has been tearing up the dance floor for the past 6 with his blend of beats, entertaining lyrics, and move-your-body groves. Check out his video for "Like Something 4 Porno." The video makes me feel like I stuck in a 1960s documentary about the sexual revolution except this documentary has a better-than-average soundtrack.