Skywarp!

Also, you guys might be sick of music-themed tourneys at this point, but if not, YRock on XPN, a Philly station, started their annual Modern Rock Madness today. ROUND 1 (64 BANDS): Monday, March 30th & Tuesday, March 31st ROUND 2 (32 BANDS): Wednesday, April 1st ROUND 3 (THE SWELL 16): Thursday, April 2nd ROUND 4 (THE ELUSIVE 8): Thursday, April 2nd ROUND 5 (THE FANTASTIC 4): Friday, April 3rd CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH: Friday, April 3rd Grid: http://www.xpn.org/images/pdfs/mrmgrid2009.pdf Vote: http://www.xpn.org/yrock-on-xpn/mrm-2009 Listen Live: http://www.xpn.org/yrock-on-xpn/listen-live They'll play a couple songs from each artist at the time listed on the grid and the vote button will allow you to weigh in on the current match. At 11:15am EST, we're too late to vote in the Radiohead vs. Animal Collective and Elvis Costello vs. David Bowie matchups, but you can have your say for the rest of the tourney.

Snoop Doggy Dogg- "Gin and Juice" R.E.M.- "Losing My Religion" 2Pac- "California Love" New Radicals- "You Get What You Give"

Hey, anyone remember when the RIAA was trying to sue the US Government for royalties from the "public performance" of the copyrighted music being used for torture at Gitmo?

Sweet Caroline. The drunken frat-boy douchebag crowd participation parts: "bah-bah-baaaahs" and "so good! so good! so goods" turn me into a bitter hatemonger.

Snoop Doggy Dogg- "Gin and Juice" Fiona Apple- "Criminal" Nirvana- "Heart Shaped Box" R.E.M.- "Losing My Religion" 2Pac- "California Love" Red Hot Chili Peppers- "Under the Bridge" New Radicals- "You Get What You Give" Meat Loaf- "I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)"

Not just that, it wasn't even their s/t debut but Follow the Leader, an album where one track is just Davis and Fred Durst trying to outdo each other with vile cursing and homophobia.

It's gonna blow whoa-whoa-whoa, volcano!

Looking at what was dropped and what remains, you guys really, really worry me. This is just awful. The Spaghetti Incident? Salt N Pepa- "Whatta Man" Deee-Lite- "Groove Is In The Heart" LL Cool J- "Mama Said Knock You Out" Fiona Apple- "Criminal" Get a Grip Nirvana- "Heart Shaped Box" Smashing Pumpkins- "1979" R.E.M.- "Losing My Religion" Blind Melon- "No Rain" Armageddon: The Album Soundgarden- "Black Hole Sun" DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince- "Summertime" Beastie Boys- "Sabotage" Red Hot Chili Peppers- "Under the Bridge" Bat Out Of Hell II: Back Into Hell Radiohead- "Creep" Faith No More- "Epic" Hootie and the Blowfish- "I Only Wanna Be With You" Meat Loaf- "I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)"

Her "How Can I Live Without You" hit is never going to sound the same. Hey, she has her own breakup song to cry to when it comes on the radio and she'll say "Oh man, this song is totally about what I went through!"

More Human Than Human Beck- "Loser" Montell Jordan- "This Is How We Do It" Snoop Doggy Dogg- "Gin and Juice" Dee-Lite- "Groove Is In The Heart" Jamiroquai- "Virtual Insanity" L.L. Cool J- "Mama Said Knock You Out" Weezer- "Buddy Holly" Jay-Z- "Can I Get A..." The Killer In Me Is The Killer In You Nirvana- "Heart Shaped Box" Stone Temple Pilots- "Interstate Love Song" Smashing Pumpkins- "1979" Cranberries- "Linger" Green Day- "Basket Case" R.E.M.- "Losing My Religion" Chumbawumba- "Tubthumpin" Blind Melon- "No Rain" I Want To Fuck You Like An Animal Soundgarden- "Black Hole Sun" MC Hammer- "U Can't Touch This" DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince- "Summertime" 2Pac- "California Love" The Verve- "Bittersweet Symphony" The Cardigans- "Lovefool" The Offspring- "Self Esteem" Red Hot Chili Peppers- "Under the Bridge" Every New Beginning Comes From Some Other Beginning's End Radiohead- "Creep" New Radicals- "You Get What You Give" Pras (ft. Maya and ODB)- "Ghetto Superstar" Nada Surf- "Popular" Guns N Roses- "November Rain" Ben Folds Five- "Brick" Garbage- "I'm Only Happy When It Rains" Foo Fighters- "Everlong"

Toad the Wet Bracket Salt-N-Pepa- "Whatta Man" - Remember how Veruca Salt's first single from their following album actually REPRISED part of "Seether?" Beck- "Loser" - I remember thinking after hearing "Mellow Gold" that Beck would be a one-hit wonder. I'm not clairvoyant. Montell Jordan- "This Is How We Do It" - I hate both choices. Goo Goo Dolls- "Iris" - See above. Hanson- "Mmmbop" - Harmless enough. Chris Isaak- "Wicked Game" - Just for a boner-ific video. Kris Kross- "Jump" - Hey guys, did you know that Jewel used to live in her car? She only mentioned it in 1,000 interviews. Deee-Lite- "Groove Is In The Heart" - I remember losing a group danceoff where we performed to this song. Jamiroquai- "Virtual Insanity" - That was an impressive video, huh? Ricky Martin- "Livin La Vida Loca" - As much as we all hate to admit it, at one time or another you have caught yourself singing "She's into superstitions/Black cats and voodoo dolls," then were horrified at yourself. Sixpence None The Richer- "Kiss Me" - Gangsta rap was mostly lost on me in the '90s. L.L. Cool J- "Mama Said Knock You Out" - ...But at least L.L. was accessible. Fiona Apple- "Criminal" - I actually like her cover of "Across the Universe." Weezer- "Buddy Holly" - Weezer's "Blue Album" is actually my favorite album of the '90s. There, I said it. Mariah Carey- "Dreamlover" - Can't remember the song, but I'll pick the lesser of two evils. "Fantasy" was alright. Jay Z- "Can I Get A..." - Don't know either song, but I like Jay's "December 4th" song from the '00s. Give Me One Region To Stay Here Nirvana- "Smells Like Teen Spirit" - Grohl's drumming is intense and fantastic on this one. Makes the whole song. Plus, it awakened me to music that wasn't just "Weird" Al and Nintendo songs. Blink 182- "Dammit" - I picked their most innocuous song. Blur- "Girls and Boys" - "Song 2" reminds me of an insufferable girl who would sing the "Woo-hoos" incessantly. Stone Temple Pilots- "Interstate Love Song" - Hopefully "Plush" isn't the one that goes "I know you want what's on my mind," or else I voted wrong. But I won't take it back. Smashing Pumpkins- "1979" - Everything by this band is wretched, but I'll go with this one. Seal- "Kiss From A Rose" - Don't remember the other tune, but at least this one was on the same soundtrack as the Flaming Lips' "Bad Days." The Cranberries- "Linger" - Tough, but I realized I like "Dreams" best as Girl Talk's reworking of it. No Doubt- "Spiderwebs" - Boy, this band's work didn't age well. Not even "Hella Good" from the '00s, their best song, is listenable anymore. Alanis Morissette- "You Oughta Know" - This was like choosing between contracting canceraids and flaming canceraids. Green Day- "Basket Case" - "Basket Case" got overplayed, but still beats the pants off "Good Riddance." Oasis- "Wonderwall" - Once again, would you rather have the canceraids or the flaming canceraids? R.E.M.- "Losing My Religion" - I remember watching people cry while listening to "Everybody Hurts." Awkward. Chumbawumba- "Tubthumping" - I like how everyone who thinks this song is romantic believes they're saying "kissing the night away." Tom Cochrane- "Life Is A Highway" - Yes, I do hate Bush that much. Third Eye Blind- "Semi-Charmed Life" - This tourney's just full of these lose/lose decisions. Blind Melon- "No Rain" - Can't say I know the Black Crows tune. 2 Legit Bracket Aerosmith- "Cryin'" - Even shell-of-themselves Aerosmith can beat TLC. Soundgarden- "Black Hole Sun" - Tolerable Cornell, where have ye gone? MC Hammer- "U Can't Touch This" - "Their song goes 'do do do dodo doo doot/do do do dodo doo doot.' Mine goes 'do do do dodo doo doot /*DO* do do dodo doo doot.'" Spacehog- "In The Meantime" - I always did like the baseline in this. Made me think of SNES' "Stunt Race FX" somehow. Salt-N-Pepa- "Shoop" - Could two Peppa songs not named "Push It" go to the second round? DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince- "Summertime" - I did have a friend with a crappy car. He drove two miles an hour. Everybody saw him. 2Pac- "California Love" - I don't understand songs that break momentum for a dumb skit even more than I don't understand dumb skits on albums. "...Baby One More Time" is one of these songs. Spice Girls- "Wannabe" - I can't believe George Bush pardoned the Fugee in jail. Maybe he's a fan? Bryan Adams- "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You" - lolerskates. The Verve- "Bittersweet Symphony" - I guess the string loop is the best thing going on in this pairing. Beastie Boys- "Sabotage" - Anyone remember Better Than Ezra's third single, "Rosalia?" Spin Doctors- "Two Princes" - Yeah, I had this album once. Offspring- "Self Esteem" - Slightly better than when Offspring decided to write all joke songs. Soul Asylum- "Runaway Train" - Has there ever been a follow-up on the kids in that video? Semisonic- "Closing Time" - I'll go with the (awful) one I've heard. Red Hot Chili Peppers- "Under The Bridge" - I think "Gel" might be Collective Soul's best song. Damn! I Wish I Was Your Bracket Radiohead- "Creep" - I totally ruled this one in "Rock Band" this one time. Presidents of the United States of America- "Lump" - What a perfect little piece of pop-rock, clocking in at under three minutes. Pearl Jam- "Evenflow" - Probably the best song from "Ten," but I was never too keen on that album. New Radicals- "You Get What You Give" - That New Radicals album is awful, but this song was a great single. Pras (ft. Maya & ODB)- "Ghetto Superstar" - Dr. Evil did the definitive version of Osbourne's song. Sinead O'Connor- "Nothing Compares 2 U" - Again, I like the turn this song took in the hands of Girl Talk. Nada Surf- "Popular" - I should go download this from iTunes. Awesome novelty track. Faith No More- "Epic" - Haha, Marcy Playground. Guns N Roses- "November Rain" - I'll be damned, they actually grabbed the brass ring they reached for on this one. Arrested Development- "Tennessee" - I would have preferred "Mr. Wendel," myself. Everclear- "Santa Monica" - If Everclear could write songs that didn't sound like each other, they'd probably still be relevant. Unfortunately for Everclear, they're Everclear. Ben Folds Five- "Brick" - All I have to say about Folds is in the "Way to Normal" thread. Fastball- "The Way" - It takes guts to name your band "Garbage," then suck, knowing all the obvious jokes that will follow. Juvenile- "Back That Azz Up" - Awful choices here. 4 Non Blondes- "What's Up" - I must say that I never understood the lovefest for "Everlong." I'd like someone to explain it to me, please. I've tried with that tune, but it never grabbed me.

It depends on if we're considering songs as part of the decade in which they appeared on an album, or the date the singles hit the airwaves. In the latter case, "Scar Tissue" and "Around the World" just made it under the wire for eligibility. The rest of the album's singles are '00s material.

We get so caught up in our day-to-day bullshit: remembering appointments, what we have to do today, etc., that it seems completely plausible for anyone to be absent-minded enough to forget to drive to day care before heading into work. I'm actually terrified of doing this, since I can be a space cadet at times. I have to take issue with the article saying "slowly suffocated to death." I haven't read the full article, but I've also read that in the summer it only takes a handful of minutes to bake a baby to death (within 10 minutes, your car can reach something like 140-F).

Whomever nominated Limp Bizkit's "Rollin' (Air Raid Vehicle)," let it be known that track was released in 2000. Here's some more fodder. Sorry if there are repeats. I don't necessarily like all of these, just a couple, but they all remind me of a specific place and time, so: Nirvana - "Sliver" The Presidents of the United States of America - "Lump" The Presidents of the United States of America - "Cleveland Rocks" (Drew Carey theme) 311 - "All Mixed Up" Rage Against the Machine - "Bulls on Parade" Porno for Pyros - "Pets" Toadies - "Possum Kingdom" Meat Puppets - "Backwater" The Offspring - "Come Out and Play" Sponge - "Molly" Everclear - "Santa Monica" Live - "I Alone" 2Pac - "California Love" Squirrel Nut Zippers - "Hell" Filter - "Hey Man, Nice Shot" Foo Fighters - "This is a Call" Spacehog - "In the Meantime" Red Hot Chili Peppers - "Aeroplane" The Flaming Lips - "Vasoline" Apparently a disproportionate amount of my memories of the '90s come from '94-'97.

"Suburban Life" must be KMK's only song, because that's the only one I ever heard as well. And I hope new Sublime doesn't make a dime. Not because I'm a huge fan of Nowell, but because this is the second time they've tried to find a Nowell stand-in. The terrible Long Beach Dub All-Stars, which makes Sublime sound like Radiohead, employed a similar tactic in getting a Nowell sound-alike to lead the group. Full disclosure: I was really into Sublime for a year or two, then for some reason got really bored of it and never listened again. I guess 40 oz. to Freedom comes with an expiration date. And to think that during that time I might have picked up a Slightly Stoopid album had their label stopped smokin' bud and actually distributed albums to the East Coast. I guess I should be thankful.

Since we're talking about Folds live, I guess I should add that the beginning of the end for me may have been his Live album. I'm embarrassed to admit this, since having a fanbase ruin an artist for you is kind of a douchebag reason for not liking an artist anymore, but the perfectly-sung crowd participation moments started me down the road to being an ex-fan. At that moment, I began to envision snotty, suburban, pleated khaki, high-school theatre dorks as Folds' target audience (despite myself being a suburbanite at the time who was a theatre dork in his H.S. past). Next, there was nothing I really appreciated in the EPs except maybe "Give Judy My Notice." Third, I wasn't compelled to buy Songs for Silverman after hearing the sample clips. Finally, Ben "it's funny when you say 'fuck and 'bitch' in piano pop" Folds released this latest album with song titles like "Effington." I'm still a little intrigued, but the tipping point to me flat out disliking him is wondering how I can take someone seriously that fills his albums with love songs like "The Luckiest" yet just completed something like his fourth (?) divorce. I know it's not all related to the music, but he's seriously getting on my nerves.

Gay to Normal sounds like a concept album about a homosexual and his Christian Conservative family attempting to "rehabilitate" him. Particualrly if his father was a high-profile Evangelical minister or a Deep South Senator.

He needs the rest of the "Five" to ground him. They added that extra "oomph" to the rockers (propulsive drums, funky fuzz-bass) that is sorely missing from Folds' solo attempts, and they also made his slow songs sound heartbreakingly sad and sincere, while in Folds' solo world they just sound like souless soccer mom-pop. They also were amazing harmonizers together. There were but three of them but they could fill a room with their "AAAHHHs". On the flipslide, I don't think I can stand to listen to one more Folds song where he layers his own voice several times to create the world's douchiest clone choir with bad teeth.

In the past you've taken me out to the woodshed over Weezer and 311, so believe it!

ESPN Radio reports that Giants brass must already be forgetting Sunday's helicopter passes and are focusing on Super Bowl XLII's Miracle Play instead, as they're expected to offer Eli Manning a 7- or 8-year extention worth up to $120 Million.

I'd hoped that they would cut him and try to recoup as much of his bonus as was allowable by the league for ruining this season. They should probably let whichever guy wants more money between Jacobs and Ward go because Jacobs is injury prone and Ward is 28, and try to swing a deal for Boldin or sign Whosyourmama to be the new #1 WR because right now all we have are a bunch of unproven guys (Hixon/Manningham/Moss), a 73 year old Amani Toomer, Kevin Boss and the other Steve Smith. It seems like local sports radio expects Jacobs to be franchised and Ward to be turned loose. The two are great friends, so I don't think they're happy about that. Giants fans also seem to be coming around by and large to the fact that Plax is, unfortunately, needed (I, too, underestimated just how valuable he was). I want them to show him the door--since the right thing isn't always the easy or most popular thing--but smart money's on him getting another chance in NY. Apparantly we need an elite wideout more than we need a lack of headaches. Of course, this all depends on him keeping his ass out of jail, which certainly isn't a given.

Philly didn't burn to the ground. Neither did New York. We need to stop saying these types of things when the last 10 people in a parking lot flail on some derelict cars.

I don't know. I think it's finally Philly's year. A 25-year drought is broken by a glut of sports titles in one 12-month span, perhaps?

This game has reportedly sold out in six minutes. Compare that to the Wild Card game, and I think Warner has finally brought some passion and excitement to this city. Is he building them up just for a crushing fall? Which one of these Super Bowls will we see? -The All 6-seed, all bird-mascotted Super Bowl? -The other all bird-mascotted Super Bowl? -The Pennsylvania Turnpike Super Bowl? -The QBs-trying-for-a-2nd-ring Super Bowl?